Cost of living comparison
California is 3.3% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.5% less in California
- Groceries
-
pay 6.2% more in California
- Transportation
-
pay 8.0% less in California
- Housing
-
pay 14.4% less in California
- Childcare
-
pay 19.2% more in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.3% less in California
- Clothing
-
pay 13.5% less in California
The cost of childcare and groceries in California are more expensive than in San Diego. Expenses including housing, clothing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants are lower in California.
If you lived in California instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 1.5% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.50
|
$21.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.52
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.64
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.21
|
$2.16
|
|
pay 6.2% more for groceries
|
San Diego
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.34
|
$6.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.38
|
$4.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.28
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.85
|
$5.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.77
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.31
|
$1.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
|
$1.44
|
|
pay 8.0% less for transportation
|
San Diego
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.15
|
$4.83
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$62.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,376.95
|
$30,005.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$20.07
|
|
pay 14.4% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.11
|
$68.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,839.47
|
$2,371.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,284.17
|
$2,055.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$240.96
|
$171.68
|
|
pay 19.2% more for childcare
|
San Diego
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.29
|
$1,682.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$21,666.67
|
$30,905.75
|
|
pay 11.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.41
|
$5.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.06
|
$10.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$84.21
|
$66.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$14.41
|
|
pay 13.5% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.49
|
$52.77
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$59.66
|
$40.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.33
|
$85.15
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.86
|
$117.31
|
|
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about California or San Diego. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.