Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. San Luis Obispo Cost of Living Summary
United States is 0.5% cheaper than San Luis Obispo.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.1% less in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 31.8% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 12.2% less in United States
- Housing
-
pay 17.8% less in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 23.0% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.3% less in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 17.1% less in United States
The cost of groceries and childcare in United States are more expensive than in San Luis Obispo. Expenses including housing, clothing, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in United States.
United States vs. San Luis Obispo Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of San Luis Obispo, you would:
pay 7.1% less for restaurants
|
San Luis Obispo
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$24.00
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.22
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.76
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.58
|
$2.00
|
|
San Luis Obispo vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.8% more for groceries
|
San Luis Obispo
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.45
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.67
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.17
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.83
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.75
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.56
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.86
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.14
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.09
|
$1.38
|
|
San Luis Obispo vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 12.2% less for transportation
|
San Luis Obispo
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.64
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.00
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,323.95
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$28.87
|
$17.61
|
|
San Luis Obispo vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 17.8% less for housing
|
San Luis Obispo
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.60
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,280.00
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.00
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$195.00
|
$150.19
|
|
San Luis Obispo vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 23.0% more for childcare
|
San Luis Obispo
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,300.00
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,489.48
|
$23,196.46
|
|
San Luis Obispo vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 4.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Luis Obispo
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.77
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.96
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.00
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$13.64
|
|
San Luis Obispo vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.1% less for clothing
|
San Luis Obispo
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.00
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.00
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$110.00
|
$112.04
|
|
San Luis Obispo vs. United States - 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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