Cost of Living Comparison Between London and San Francisco, CA 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in San Francisco, CA is 9.4% higher than in London (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in San Francisco, CA is 10.7% higher than in London
Rent Prices in San Francisco, CA are 12.6% higher than in London
Restaurant Prices in San Francisco, CA are 8.7% higher than in London
Groceries Prices in San Francisco, CA are 53.9% higher than in London
Local Purchasing Power in San Francisco, CA is 62.2% higher than in London
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 £
(26.65 $)
18.76 £
(25.00 $)
     -6.2 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 80.00 £
(106.61 $)
91.93 £
(122.50 $)
     +14.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 8.00 £
(10.66 $)
10.51 £
(14.00 $)
     +31.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.10 £
(8.13 $)
6.00 £
(8.00 $)
     -1.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 6.00 £
(8.00 $)
6.11 £
(8.15 $)
     +1.9 %
Cappuccino (regular) 3.79 £
(5.06 $)
4.38 £
(5.84 $)
     +15.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.07 £
(2.76 $)
2.39 £
(3.18 $)
     +15.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.42 £
(1.89 $)
1.82 £
(2.43 $)
     +28.6 %
Markets
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.78 £
(6.37 $)
4.29 £
(5.72 $)
     -10.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1.42 £
(1.89 $)
3.44 £
(4.59 $)
     +142.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 0.82 £
(1.09 $)
2.29 £
(3.05 $)
     +180.3 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.58 £
(4.78 $)
4.43 £
(5.91 $)
     +23.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 3.78 £
(5.04 $)
8.07 £
(10.76 $)
     +113.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 3.04 £
(4.06 $)
5.02 £
(6.68 $)
     +64.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 4.90 £
(6.53 $)
7.95 £
(10.59 $)
     +62.2 %
Apples (1 lb) 1.15 £
(1.53 $)
2.43 £
(3.24 $)
     +111.1 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.60 £
(0.80 $)
0.97 £
(1.30 $)
     +61.5 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.04 £
(1.39 $)
1.78 £
(2.37 $)
     +70.6 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.25 £
(1.67 $)
2.56 £
(3.42 $)
     +104.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 0.56 £
(0.75 $)
1.30 £
(1.73 $)
     +130.6 %
Onion (1 lb) 0.57 £
(0.76 $)
1.33 £
(1.77 $)
     +132.7 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.00 £
(1.33 $)
2.15 £
(2.87 $)
     +115.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.30 £
(1.74 $)
2.09 £
(2.78 $)
     +60.1 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 9.00 £
(11.99 $)
13.51 £
(18.00 $)
     +50.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.36 £
(3.15 $)
1.93 £
(2.57 $)
     -18.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.89 £
(3.86 $)
2.45 £
(3.27 $)
     -15.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 16.75 £
(22.32 $)
10.51 £
(14.00 $)
     -37.3 %
Transportation
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.80 £
(3.73 $)
2.25 £
(3.00 $)
     -19.6 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 183.04 £
(243.92 $)
69.41 £
(92.50 $)
     -62.1 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.50 £
(6.00 $)
3.11 £
(4.15 $)
     -30.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.18 £
(5.58 $)
2.44 £
(3.25 $)
     -41.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 £
(39.98 $)
29.27 £
(39.00 $)
     -2.4 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 5.44 £
(7.24 $)
3.86 £
(5.15 $)
     -28.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 28,285.00 £
(37,692.48 $)
26,264.53 £
(35,000.00 $)
     -7.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 28,922.94 £
(38,542.59 $)
19,476.81 £
(25,954.72 $)
     -32.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 233.10 £
(310.63 $)
176.01 £
(234.55 $)
     -24.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 15.21 £
(20.27 $)
47.21 £
(62.91 $)
     +210.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 31.46 £
(41.92 $)
49.99 £
(66.62 $)
     +58.9 %
Sports And Leisure
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 48.76 £
(64.98 $)
73.86 £
(98.42 $)
     +51.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 16.42 £
(21.88 $)
9.51 £
(12.67 $)
     -42.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 £
(19.99 $)
12.76 £
(17.00 $)
     -15.0 %
Childcare
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,804.45 £
(2,404.60 $)
2,154.32 £
(2,870.83 $)
     +19.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 20,965.22 £
(27,938.17 $)
28,515.77 £
(38,000.00 $)
     +36.0 %
Clothing And Shoes
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 80.11 £
(106.76 $)
48.60 £
(64.76 $)
     -39.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 36.00 £
(47.97 $)
32.86 £
(43.79 $)
     -8.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 92.30 £
(123.00 $)
76.99 £
(102.60 $)
     -16.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 117.34 £
(156.37 $)
109.27 £
(145.62 $)
     -6.9 %
Rent Per Month
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,218.66 £
(2,956.58 $)
2,445.42 £
(3,258.76 $)
     +10.2 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,639.66 £
(2,185.00 $)
2,089.16 £
(2,784.00 $)
     +27.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,133.78 £
(5,508.66 $)
4,108.52 £
(5,475.00 $)
     -0.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,721.63 £
(3,626.83 $)
3,418.14 £
(4,555.00 $)
     +25.6 %
Buy Apartment Price
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,459.24 £
(1,944.58 $)
770.14 £
(1,026.28 $)
     -47.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 780.29 £
(1,039.81 $)
693.32 £
(923.92 $)
     -11.1 %
Salaries And Financing
London Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 3,035.36 £
(4,044.91 $)
5,448.33 £
(7,260.42 $)
     +79.5 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 5.03 6.36      +26.5 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:734175