Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. Wisconsin Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 33.5% more expensive than Wisconsin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 29.2% more in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 19.2% more in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 26.8% more in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 97.2% more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 2.1% less in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 40.6% more in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 23.9% more in San Diego
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, transportation, clothing, and groceries in San Diego are more expensive than in Wisconsin. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in San Diego.
San Diego vs. Wisconsin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of Wisconsin, you would:
pay 29.2% more for restaurants
|
Wisconsin
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.05
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
|
$2.50
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.2% more for groceries
|
Wisconsin
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.29
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.16
|
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.12
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.37
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.12
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 26.8% more for transportation
|
Wisconsin
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.13
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.85
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,550.59
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.78
|
$19.40
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 97.2% more for housing
|
Wisconsin
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.49
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,194.55
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$970.14
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.51
|
$205.84
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 2.1% less for childcare
|
Wisconsin
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,662.39
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$31,803.36
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 40.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wisconsin
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.51
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.26
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$46.71
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.06
|
$17.50
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.9% more for clothing
|
Wisconsin
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.31
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.83
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.73
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.46
|
$126.25
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Diego - 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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