Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Diego, CA 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in San Diego, CA is 22.2% higher than in Austin, TX (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in San Diego, CA is 28.2% higher than in Austin, TX
Rent Prices in San Diego, CA are 37.9% higher than in Austin, TX
Restaurant Prices in San Diego, CA are 24.0% higher than in Austin, TX
Groceries Prices in San Diego, CA are 12.4% higher than in Austin, TX
Local Purchasing Power in San Diego, CA is 17.9% lower than in Austin, TX
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 18.00 $ 21.00 $      +16.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $ 100.00 $      +33.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 15.00 $      +50.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $ 8.00 $      +33.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 9.00 $      +12.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.55 $ 5.90 $      +6.3 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.75 $ 2.99 $      +8.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.20 $ 2.50 $      +13.5 %
Markets
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.29 $ 4.65 $      +8.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.21 $ 4.08 $      +27.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.54 $ 2.09 $      +35.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.38 $ 5.26 $      +19.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.70 $ 6.23 $      +9.3 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 4.82 $ 5.75 $      +19.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.60 $ 8.38 $      +27.0 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.30 $ 2.15 $      -6.4 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.70 $ 0.77 $      +10.0 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.09 $ 1.81 $      -13.5 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.82 $ 2.15 $      +18.1 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.31 $ 1.37 $      +4.0 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.31 $ 1.10 $      -15.9 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.03 $ 2.21 $      +8.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.20 $ 2.43 $      +10.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 15.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.32 $ 1.79 $      -22.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.54 $ 2.50 $      -29.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 9.00 $ 12.00 $      +33.3 %
Transportation
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.50 $ 2.50 $      +66.7 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 43.48 $ 72.00 $      +65.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.38 $ 3.00 $      -31.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.58 $ 3.30 $      +28.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 35.00 $ 28.00 $      -20.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 2.98 $ 4.91 $      +65.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,450.00 $ 30,982.50 $      +12.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,328.84 $ 27,059.25 $      +2.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 185.83 $ 277.55 $      +49.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 62.48 $ 66.79 $      +6.9 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 66.89 $ 77.72 $      +16.2 %
Sports And Leisure
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 59.48 $ 65.68 $      +10.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 11.67 $ 25.00 $      +114.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 $ 16.00 $      +6.7 %
Childcare
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,351.92 $ 1,741.67 $      +28.8 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,093.75 $ 28,750.00 $      +30.1 %
Clothing And Shoes
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 56.04 $ 58.81 $      +4.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 45.47 $ 56.30 $      +23.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 84.64 $ 99.91 $      +18.0 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 113.44 $ 115.71 $      +2.0 %
Rent Per Month
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,238.43 $ 2,703.93 $      +20.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,406.77 $ 2,354.13 $      +67.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,860.42 $ 4,913.96 $      +27.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,662.60 $ 4,050.00 $      +52.1 %
Buy Apartment Price
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 430.40 $ 846.65 $      +96.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 290.46 $ 644.63 $      +121.9 %
Salaries And Financing
Austin, TX Edit San Diego, CA Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,028.96 $ 5,291.79 $      +5.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.47 6.42      -0.7 %
Last update: 21 May 202515 May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:191149