Cost of living comparison
Santa Monica is 11.6% cheaper than San Francisco.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.1% more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
-
pay 25.1% less in Santa Monica
- Transportation
-
pay 15.1% less in Santa Monica
- Housing
-
pay 6.3% less in Santa Monica
- Childcare
-
pay 30.7% less in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.9% less in Santa Monica
- Clothing
-
pay 5.3% less in Santa Monica
Expenses including childcare, groceries, transportation, housing, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Santa Monica.
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of San Francisco, you would:
pay 3.1% more for restaurants
|
San Francisco
|
Santa Monica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.20
|
$2.23
|
|
pay 25.1% less for groceries
|
San Francisco
|
Santa Monica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.86
|
$4.41
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.38
|
$6.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.98
|
$4.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.32
|
$4.77
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.49
|
$6.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.26
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.05
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.54
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.74
|
$2.49
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.01
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.86
|
$1.15
|
|
pay 15.1% less for transportation
|
San Francisco
|
Santa Monica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.27
|
$4.94
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$98.00
|
$80.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$30,499.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.31
|
$16.52
|
|
pay 6.3% less for housing
|
San Francisco
|
Santa Monica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.19
|
$72.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,110.17
|
$2,900.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,750.00
|
$2,600.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$194.16
|
$146.62
|
|
pay 30.7% less for childcare
|
San Francisco
|
Santa Monica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,829.63
|
$1,778.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$38,000.00
|
$28,750.00
|
|
pay 1.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Francisco
|
Santa Monica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.64
|
$5.46
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.00
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$94.53
|
$105.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.00
|
$18.00
|
|
pay 5.3% less for clothing
|
San Francisco
|
Santa Monica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.43
|
$58.46
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.08
|
$34.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.32
|
$101.30
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$131.92
|
$144.74
|
|
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