Cost of living comparison
San Francisco is 10.7% more expensive than Boston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.7% less in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 13.7% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 22.7% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 7.3% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 34.2% more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.6% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 2.9% less in San Francisco
The cost of childcare, transportation, groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports in San Francisco are more expensive than in Boston. Expenses including restaurants and clothing are lower in San Francisco.
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Boston, you would:
pay 3.7% less for restaurants
|
Boston
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.55
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.14
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.20
|
|
pay 13.7% more for groceries
|
Boston
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.39
|
$4.86
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.48
|
$11.38
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.97
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.43
|
$5.32
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.22
|
$6.49
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$3.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.47
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.23
|
$2.54
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.19
|
$3.74
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$2.01
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.72
|
$1.86
|
|
pay 22.7% more for transportation
|
Boston
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.64
|
$5.27
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$98.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,000.00
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.62
|
$20.31
|
|
pay 7.3% more for housing
|
Boston
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.88
|
$65.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,280.96
|
$3,110.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,453.85
|
$2,750.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$148.96
|
$194.16
|
|
pay 34.2% more for childcare
|
Boston
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,428.57
|
$2,829.63
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,000.00
|
$38,000.00
|
|
pay 3.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Boston
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.79
|
$5.64
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.83
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$86.18
|
$94.53
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$17.00
|
|
pay 2.9% less for clothing
|
Boston
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.32
|
$61.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.83
|
$45.08
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.17
|
$104.32
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$157.18
|
$131.92
|
|
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