Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Sydney Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 38.1% more expensive than Sydney.
- Restaurants
-
pay 47.0% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 62.3% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 4.8% less in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 48.4% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 92.7% more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.1% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 4.3% less in San Francisco
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in San Francisco are more expensive than in Sydney. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in San Francisco. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Francisco.
San Francisco vs. Sydney Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Sydney, you would:
pay 47.0% more for restaurants
|
Sydney
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.35
A$24.62
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.77
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
A$3.91
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
A$3.01
|
$2.59
|
|
Sydney vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 62.3% more for groceries
|
Sydney
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.63
A$3.96
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.92
A$7.41
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.66
A$10.03
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.21
A$7.84
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.86
A$5.81
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.46
A$2.19
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.25
A$1.88
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
A$2.09
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.07
A$3.12
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
A$1.65
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
A$1.59
|
$1.81
|
|
Sydney vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 4.8% less for transportation
|
Sydney
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.66
A$7.01
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$142.21
A$214.11
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,060.36
A$43,752.43
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$23.55
A$35.46
|
$20.31
|
|
Sydney vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 48.4% more for housing
|
Sydney
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.18
A$78.56
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,157.42
A$3,248.15
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,515.46
A$2,281.64
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$147.91
A$222.69
|
$179.63
|
|
Sydney vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 92.7% more for childcare
|
Sydney
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,079.13
A$3,130.27
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,278.49
A$27,519.57
|
$42,000.00
|
|
Sydney vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 25.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sydney
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.85
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.48
A$5.24
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$32.71
A$49.25
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.50
A$100.12
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.74
A$20.68
|
$17.00
|
|
Sydney vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.3% less for clothing
|
Sydney
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.03
A$112.97
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$61.01
A$91.85
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.79
A$153.25
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.15
A$183.91
|
$133.67
|
|
Sydney 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: December 2025
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