Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Scottsdale Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 59.7% more expensive than Scottsdale.
- Restaurants
- pay 23.9% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
- pay 53.6% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
- pay 50.6% more in San Francisco
- Housing
- pay 29.7% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
- pay 2.7 times more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 68.3% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
- pay 23.9% more in San Francisco
San Francisco vs. Scottsdale Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Scottsdale, you would:
pay 23.9% more for restaurants
Scottsdale | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $30.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $14.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.83 | $3.30 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.40 | $2.59 | |
Scottsdale vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 53.6% more for groceries
Scottsdale | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.58 | $5.06 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.82 | $11.69 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.40 | $5.85 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.35 | $6.26 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.64 | $6.63 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.06 | $3.22 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.75 | $1.31 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.74 | $2.37 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.90 | $3.23 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.27 | $1.67 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.24 | $1.81 | |
Scottsdale vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 50.6% more for transportation
Scottsdale | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.42 | $4.89 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $43.00 | $90.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,113.30 | $36,753.89 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $13.69 | $20.31 | |
Scottsdale vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 29.7% more for housing
Scottsdale | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $81.88 | $68.78 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,883.33 | $3,446.66 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,708.33 | $2,736.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $196.17 | $179.63 | |
Scottsdale vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
Scottsdale | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,214.72 | $3,236.11 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,605.00 | $42,000.00 | |
Scottsdale vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 68.3% more for entertainment and sports
Scottsdale | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.00 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.38 | $5.98 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.22 | $14.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $34.33 | $109.64 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.50 | $17.00 | |
Scottsdale vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.9% more for clothing
Scottsdale | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $47.22 | $70.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $43.50 | $48.82 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.50 | $102.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.79 | $133.67 | |
Scottsdale vs. San Francisco - 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: June 2026
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