Cost of Living Comparison Between Detroit, MI and San Francisco, CA 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in San Francisco, CA is 42.8% higher than in Detroit, MI (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in San Francisco, CA is 68.9% higher than in Detroit, MI
Rent Prices in San Francisco, CA are 130.8% higher than in Detroit, MI
Restaurant Prices in San Francisco, CA are 47.1% higher than in Detroit, MI
Groceries Prices in San Francisco, CA are 38.0% higher than in Detroit, MI
Local Purchasing Power in San Francisco, CA is 35.2% higher than in Detroit, MI
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 18.00 $ 25.00 $      +38.9 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 68.50 $ 125.00 $      +82.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 14.00 $      +40.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $ 8.00 $      +33.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $ 8.15 $      +16.4 %
Cappuccino (regular) 4.90 $ 5.86 $      +19.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.43 $ 3.18 $      +30.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.82 $ 2.43 $      +33.4 %
Markets
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.22 $ 5.72 $      +77.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.66 $ 4.59 $      +72.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.60 $ 3.05 $      +17.3 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.52 $ 5.91 $      +68.0 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.58 $ 10.76 $      +92.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.43 $ 6.68 $      +23.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.33 $ 10.59 $      +13.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.01 $ 3.24 $      +61.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.55 $ 1.30 $      +137.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.65 $ 2.37 $      -10.4 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.50 $ 3.42 $      +36.9 %
Potato (1 lb) 0.94 $ 1.73 $      +83.7 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.13 $ 1.77 $      +57.5 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.60 $ 2.87 $      +10.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.08 $ 2.78 $      +33.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 14.99 $ 18.00 $      +20.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.06 $ 2.57 $      +24.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.52 $ 3.27 $      +30.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 10.00 $ 14.00 $      +40.0 %
Transportation
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.00 $ 3.00 $      +50.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 66.00 $ 92.50 $      +40.2 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 2.50 $ 4.15 $      +66.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.25 $ 3.25 $      +44.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 48.00 $ 39.00 $      -18.8 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.43 $ 5.15 $      +50.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 34,959.87 $ 35,000.00 $      +0.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 24,612.92 $ 25,954.72 $      +5.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 251.12 $ 229.35 $      -8.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 55.77 $ 62.91 $      +12.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 52.78 $ 67.40 $      +27.7 %
Sports And Leisure
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 43.00 $ 99.96 $      +132.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 25.20 $ 12.67 $      -49.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 12.00 $ 17.00 $      +41.7 %
Childcare
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,294.79 $ 2,870.83 $      +121.7 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 16,800.00 $ 38,000.00 $      +126.2 %
Clothing And Shoes
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 51.19 $ 64.76 $      +26.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 31.00 $ 43.79 $      +41.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 97.00 $ 102.60 $      +5.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 103.33 $ 145.62 $      +40.9 %
Rent Per Month
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,324.88 $ 3,258.76 $      +146.0 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,163.38 $ 2,784.00 $      +139.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,541.67 $ 5,475.00 $      +115.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,933.17 $ 4,555.00 $      +135.6 %
Buy Apartment Price
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 128.01 $ 1,026.28 $      +701.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 118.55 $ 923.92 $      +679.4 %
Salaries And Financing
Detroit, MI Edit San Francisco, CA Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 3,180.82 $ 7,260.42 $      +128.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.42 6.36      -1.0 %
Last update: April 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:35176