Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco, CA and Boston, MA 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Boston, MA are 8.1% lower than in San Francisco, CA (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Boston, MA are 12.1% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Rent Prices in Boston, MA are 16.9% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Restaurant Prices in Boston, MA are 2.8% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Groceries Prices in Boston, MA are 8.0% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Local Purchasing Power in Boston, MA is 13.4% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $ 22.50 $      -10.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $ 100.00 $      0.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $ 12.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 $ 8.00 $      0.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 10.00 $      +25.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.62 $ 5.67 $      +0.9 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.77 $ 2.80 $      +1.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.35 $ 2.51 $      +7.1 %
Markets
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 6.06 $ 4.82 $      -20.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 4.43 $ 4.00 $      -9.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.03 $ 2.60 $      -14.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 5.41 $ 4.79 $      -11.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 9.50 $ 8.88 $      -6.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 7.56 $ 6.32 $      -16.4 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.31 $ 9.25 $      -0.6 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.09 $ 2.57 $      -17.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 1.54 $ 0.95 $      -38.6 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.59 $ 2.83 $      +9.3 %
Tomato (1 lb) 3.45 $ 2.95 $      -14.4 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.97 $ 1.72 $      -12.4 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.67 $ 1.70 $      +1.9 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.00 $ 2.75 $      -8.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.38 $ 2.50 $      +4.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 17.75 $ 15.00 $      -15.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.33 $ 1.90 $      -18.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.10 $ 5.25 $      +69.1 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 13.25 $ 13.66 $      +3.1 %
Transportation
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.00 $ 2.40 $      -20.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 98.00 $ 90.00 $      -8.2 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.50 $ 2.70 $      -40.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 5.00 $ 2.80 $      -44.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 55.00 $ 28.00 $      -49.1 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 5.18 $ 3.61 $      -30.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 32,000.00 $ 30,000.00 $      -6.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,336.48 $ 24,095.29 $      -11.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 263.10 $ 201.82 $      -23.3 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 51.45 $ 57.11 $      +11.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 67.91 $ 69.12 $      +1.8 %
Sports And Leisure
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 110.17 $ 95.56 $      -13.3 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 24.20 $ 26.00 $      +7.4 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 17.00 $ 16.00 $      -5.9 %
Childcare
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,666.67 $ 2,416.67 $      -9.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 31,333.33 $ 28,000.00 $      -10.6 %
Clothing And Shoes
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 63.27 $ 58.60 $      -7.4 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 51.73 $ 46.33 $      -10.4 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 109.09 $ 94.05 $      -13.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 140.42 $ 157.60 $      +12.2 %
Rent Per Month
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 3,268.17 $ 3,134.23 $      -4.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,753.57 $ 2,259.60 $      -17.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 5,915.80 $ 5,183.91 $      -12.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 5,070.83 $ 3,561.36 $      -29.8 %
Buy Apartment Price
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,287.07 $ 1,087.30 $      -15.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,142.26 $ 585.05 $      -48.8 %
Salaries And Financing
San Francisco, CA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 7,629.41 $ 5,805.80 $      -23.9 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.77 6.55      -3.3 %
Last update: April 2024April 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:208150