Cost of Living in San Francisco
Summary about cost of living in San Francisco, CA, United States:
- Family of four estimated monthly costs are 4,447.14$ without rent (using our estimator).
- A single person estimated monthly costs are 1,226.27$ without rent.
- San Francisco is 6.84% less expensive than New York (without rent, see our cost of living index).
- Rent in San Francisco is, on average, 20.43% higher than in New York.
Restaurants |  Edit |
Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 20.00 $ | |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 80.00 $ | |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 10.00 $ | |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 7.75 $ | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 8.00 $ | |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 4.74 $ | |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 2.41 $ | |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 2.01 $ | |
Markets | Edit |
|
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 4.44 $ | |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 3.48 $ | |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 2.35 $ | |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 3.71 $ | |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 6.56 $ | |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) | 6.49 $ | |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 6.64 $ | |
| Apples (1 lb) | 2.98 $ | |
| Banana (1 lb) | 0.90 $ | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 2.21 $ | |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 3.15 $ | |
| Potato (1 lb) | 1.82 $ | |
| Onion (1 lb) | 1.64 $ | |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 1.96 $ | |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 1.96 $ | |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 15.00 $ | |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 2.69 $ | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 2.81 $ | |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 11.34 $ | |
Transportation | Edit |
|
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 3.00 $ | |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 83.50 $ | |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 3.50 $ | |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 3.00 $ | |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 33.00 $ | |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 3.61 $ | |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 24,500.00 $ | |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 21,350.38 $ | |
Utilities (Monthly) | Edit |
|
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 165.75 $ | |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 0.14 $ | |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 70.68 $ | |
Sports And Leisure | Edit |
|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 82.88 $ | |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 21.86 $ | |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 15.00 $ | |
Childcare | Edit |
|
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 2,423.53 $ | |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 34,040.83 $ | |
Clothing And Shoes | Edit |
|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 56.52 $ | |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 42.38 $ | |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 89.14 $ | |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 141.64 $ | |
Rent Per Month | Edit |
|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 3,165.54 $ | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 2,586.71 $ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 7,562.86 $ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 4,626.47 $ | |
Buy Apartment Price | Edit |
|
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 1,313.75 $ | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 960.09 $ | |
Salaries And Financing | Edit |
|
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 7,970.10 $ | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 3.68 |
Prices in San Francisco, California
This city had 1713 entries in the past 12 months by 258 different contributors.
Last update: April 2021
Last update: April 2021
Sources and References
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Nearby cities:| Cost of Living in Oakland, California | 10.67 miles |
| Cost of Living in Piedmont, California | 12.31 miles |
| Cost of Living in Berkeley, California | 13.02 miles |
| Cost of Living in Alameda, California | 15.02 miles |
| Cost of Living in San Rafael, California | 18.32 miles |
| Cost of Living in San Mateo, California | 21.47 miles |
| Cost of Living in Belmont, California | 24.19 miles |
| Cost of Living in Walnut Creek, California | 24.48 miles |
| Cost of Living in Redwood City, California | 26.16 miles |
| Cost of Living in Hayward, California | 26.70 miles |
This page in other languages:
DeutschLebenshaltungskosten in San Francisco
PortuguêsCusto de Vida em São Francisco
ItalianoCosto della Vita a San Francisco
FrançaisCoût de la Vie à San Francisco
EspañolCosto de Vida en San Francisco
Weather - Amazing weather all year long
Job opportunities - Extremely good. Tech, finance, arts, construction, barista, any and all jobs are out there
Compensation - Top of the market. You won't get paid better for the same job elsewhere
Cost of living - (bad) Really high.
*But if you're one to save, you can do what I did and get the high paying job (relative to other cities), and have a lower cost of living (smaller apartment, make my own coffee, bike around the city). Doing this, I was able to make and save a lot while living in SF.
But if you're going to come here, get paid a lot, but spend a lot, kind of defeats the purpose of getting the high comp.
In my house there are 3 apartments,
two with 60 square meter and 4 rooms one with two rooms and 40 squaremeter.
The two apartment with 60 sq.m are for 400 Euro rent.
The 40 sq.m room is for 400 Euro rent.
For a couple years, I lived in a beautiful 1-bedroom apartment on Steiner Street, just off Union, in 1988 - 1990, and the cost was only $750 per month. I did not own a car, but I could catch the electric bus a half block from my apartment, to go anywhere in town, quite often to SoMa, to e.g. Hamburger Mary's and to the rock clubs nearby - likely all gone now... I could walk to a great fresh pasta/bread/wine store 2 blocks away from my apartment, near the Triangle (if it's even still called that), and get the makings for a wonderful dinner, and I could grab a video at the vid store just up on Union (yeah, long gone), or go grab a coffee at the place just one block up on Union (too lazy to check the current name). Best time of my life. I will remember the fog rolling in, grabbing a sandwich and beer at Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store (Union & Columbus). I will remember the Christmas day when it was 32 degrees. I also lived for a year or two on Kearney, above the stairs, and will always remember the delicious caccuccio, bread and red wine at Little Joe's on Broadway. I was in SF when the earthquake struck in '89. I was in the building on Montgomery directly across from the TransAmerica Pyramid - I recall a long stream of yuppies walking home, west on Union Street, since the electric buses were out.
Best single years of my life. San Francisco is so beautiful. I will always remember it. Thank you San Francisco. I hope that at least some of the magic still remains. At least the Fog...
SF is expensive but wait till you get to europe. Coming from Lille, a town in France, I have to say that SF is paradise in terms of space, quality of life AND PRICE!
SF is expensive but not as expensive as Paris. I have been searching for rooms in SF and I found through a site called Zoopla and Craigslist a couple of apartments that are around $2,200 all inclusive of utilities. Plus has amenities.
All SF apartments for around $2,200 have amenities meaning, gym, pool and rooftop. Yes it is pricey, especially since I was paying 800 Euros in Lille. But for all that I get, it is extremely OK!
And of course, if you want to have a CAR, then yes, the cost of living will go up! But use the bus! Americans are not used to using public transport for some reason.