Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Philadelphia, PA 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Philadelphia, PA is 3.4% lower than in San Diego, CA (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Philadelphia, PA is 18.5% lower than in San Diego, CA
Rent Prices in Philadelphia, PA are 40.0% lower than in San Diego, CA
Restaurant Prices in Philadelphia, PA are 12.4% lower than in San Diego, CA
Groceries Prices in Philadelphia, PA are 15.5% higher than in San Diego, CA
Local Purchasing Power in Philadelphia, PA is 3.9% lower than in San Diego, CA
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 22.00 $ 20.00 $      -9.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 96.00 $ 90.00 $      -6.2 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 15.00 $ 12.00 $      -20.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 $ 6.00 $      -25.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 9.00 $ 7.00 $      -22.2 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.90 $ 4.89 $      -17.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.98 $ 2.66 $      -10.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.47 $ 1.94 $      -21.4 %
Markets
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.64 $ 5.16 $      +11.3 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.99 $ 3.71 $      -7.0 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.09 $ 4.60 $      +120.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.97 $ 4.29 $      -13.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.23 $ 6.87 $      +10.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.64 $ 6.26 $      +10.9 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.38 $ 9.50 $      +13.3 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.20 $ 2.77 $      +26.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.75 $ 0.99 $      +31.7 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.85 $ 2.32 $      +25.5 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.15 $ 2.47 $      +14.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.37 $ 1.53 $      +11.8 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.10 $ 1.47 $      +33.5 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.25 $ 3.01 $      +34.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.43 $ 2.49 $      +2.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 15.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.84 $ 1.92 $      +4.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.50 $ 4.25 $      +70.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 12.00 $ 12.88 $      +7.3 %
Transportation
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $ 2.50 $      0.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 72.00 $ 96.00 $      +33.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 $ 3.00 $      0.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.30 $ 2.50 $      -24.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 28.00 $ 22.00 $      -21.4 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.96 $ 3.44 $      -30.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 30,982.50 $ 27,000.00 $      -12.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,059.25 $ 25,891.56 $      -4.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 279.95 $ 269.29 $      -3.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 67.81 $ 61.40 $      -9.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 76.13 $ 73.28 $      -3.7 %
Sports And Leisure
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 67.14 $ 48.67 $      -27.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 25.00 $ 32.50 $      +30.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 16.00 $ 14.29 $      -10.7 %
Childcare
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,775.71 $ 2,076.67 $      +16.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 28,750.00 $ 43,200.00 $      +50.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 58.81 $ 50.31 $      -14.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 58.45 $ 38.17 $      -34.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 100.14 $ 90.71 $      -9.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 118.46 $ 145.62 $      +22.9 %
Rent Per Month
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,711.21 $ 1,753.69 $      -35.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,347.71 $ 1,330.17 $      -43.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,910.05 $ 3,115.69 $      -36.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 4,077.50 $ 2,227.47 $      -45.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 852.34 $ 315.01 $      -63.0 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 657.79 $ 220.30 $      -66.5 %
Salaries And Financing
San Diego, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,352.89 $ 4,194.88 $      -21.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.39 6.66      +4.2 %
Last update: April 2025April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:14697