Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Wisconsin Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 56.0% more expensive than Wisconsin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 45.1% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 56.9% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 41.7% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 2.0 times more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 63.4% more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 59.7% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 23.8% more in San Francisco
The cost of housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and transportation in San Francisco are more expensive than in Wisconsin. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in San Francisco.
San Francisco vs. Wisconsin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Wisconsin, you would:
pay 45.1% more for restaurants
|
Wisconsin
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.05
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
|
$2.59
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 56.9% more for groceries
|
Wisconsin
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.29
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.16
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.12
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.37
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.81
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 41.7% more for transportation
|
Wisconsin
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.13
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.85
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,550.59
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.78
|
$20.31
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 2.0 times more for housing
|
Wisconsin
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.49
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,194.55
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$970.14
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.51
|
$179.63
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 63.4% more for childcare
|
Wisconsin
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,662.39
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$31,803.36
|
$42,000.00
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 59.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wisconsin
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.51
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.26
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$46.71
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.06
|
$17.00
|
|
Wisconsin vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.8% more for clothing
|
Wisconsin
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.31
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.83
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.73
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.46
|
$133.67
|
|
Wisconsin 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about San Francisco or Wisconsin. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.