Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. San Francisco Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 31.1% cheaper than San Francisco.
- Restaurants
-
pay 32.8% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 23.7% less in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 20.5% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 32.8% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 51.1% less in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 35.9% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 20.7% less in North Carolina
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, groceries, and clothing are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. San Francisco Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of San Francisco, you would:
pay 32.8% less for restaurants
|
San Francisco
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$30.00
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.50
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.30
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$1.82
|
|
San Francisco vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.7% less for groceries
|
San Francisco
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.06
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.69
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.85
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.26
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.22
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.31
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.23
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$1.80
|
|
San Francisco vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 20.5% less for transportation
|
San Francisco
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.89
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.31
|
$19.99
|
|
San Francisco vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 32.8% less for housing
|
San Francisco
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.78
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,446.66
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,736.00
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.63
|
$132.31
|
|
San Francisco vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 51.1% less for childcare
|
San Francisco
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,236.11
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,000.00
|
$24,633.15
|
|
San Francisco vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 35.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Francisco
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.98
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.00
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$109.64
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.00
|
$12.98
|
|
San Francisco vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.7% less for clothing
|
San Francisco
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.82
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.00
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.67
|
$111.01
|
|
San Francisco vs. North Carolina - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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