Where you live now
Los AngelesUnited States
$3,968
per month
Cost of living: Los Angeles vs San Francisco
Choose where you live now and another city. You'll see what a normal month costs in each: rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
Household
Rent
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San Francisco is 22% more expensive than Los Angeles.
Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
City to compare
San FranciscoUnited States
$4,850
per month
Monthly costs by category
Show amounts in
| Category | Los Angeles | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 2,700 | 3,500 | +30% |
| Groceries | 396 | 414 | +5% |
| Eating out | 351 | 382 | +9% |
| Getting around | 142 | 153 | +7% |
| Bills | 242 | 255 | +6% |
| Going out | 115 | 122 | +7% |
| Clothes | 24 | 24 | +2% |
| Total per month | 3,968 | 4,850 | +22% |
San Francisco is 22% more expensive than Los Angeles for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is rent (+30%); clothes is the closest (+2%). Someone spending $3,968 a month in Los Angeles would need about $4,850 in San Francisco for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 72% of the monthly budget in San Francisco and 68% in Los Angeles.
San Francisco: no reports yet, so these numbers are starting estimates from the city's overall price level.How this is calculated
Prices
Everyday prices in San Francisco
The typical price people paid recently, and how it compares with Los Angeles. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.
Show amounts in
| Item | Typical price | What people paid | vs Los Angeles | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, regularEstimated | $5.28 | +9% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated | $23.92 | +10% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Monthly public transport passEstimated | $128 | +7% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated | $3,500 | +30% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated | $2,520 | +30% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Milk, 1 LEstimated | $1.27 | +4% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Eggs, 12Estimated | $4.88 | +5% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated | $12.74 | +4% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated | $204 | +6% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated | $63.48 | +5% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated | $58.59 | +5% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Gym membership, monthlyEstimated | $87.30 | +7% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Cinema ticketEstimated | $17.46 | +7% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated | $64.45 | +2% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports |
Most reports (10th–90th percentile)
Middle half of reports
Same item in Los Angeles
All prices in San Francisco
Method
Where the numbers come from
People who live in each city share what they paid. Every price is checked before it counts.
People share prices
Anyone can add what they paid, in their own currency. No account needed. A quick automatic check keeps bots out.
We check every price
Typos, wrong currencies and impossible amounts are caught. An unusual price only counts after someone else reports something similar.
We work out the typical price
We use the middle price of recent reports. When a city has only a few reports, we estimate the rest and label it "Estimated".
No reports in the last 30 days yet. When they arrive, you'll see here how many were counted, held for a second opinion or turned down.
Rankings
Most and least expensive cities
Monthly cost for one person renting in the city centre, in US dollars. Pick a city to compare it with Los Angeles. See all 118 cities
Most expensive
Comparisons
Popular comparisons
Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.
- London vs New York$4,144 → $5,691+37%
- Lisbon vs London$2,242 → $4,144+85%
- Hong Kong vs Singapore$3,299 → $4,261+29%
- New York vs Tokyo$5,691 → $1,976−65%
- Berlin vs London$2,319 → $4,144+79%
- Dubai vs London$3,319 → $4,144+25%
- Amsterdam vs Berlin$3,303 → $2,319−30%
- Barcelona vs Madrid$2,227 → $2,151−3%
- Lisbon vs Porto$2,242 → $1,840−18%
- Melbourne vs Sydney$2,803 → $3,486+24%
- Toronto vs Vancouver$3,003 → $3,103+3%
- Beijing vs Shanghai$1,723 → $1,840+7%
- Osaka vs Tokyo$1,574 → $1,976+25%
- Bangkok vs Singapore$1,304 → $4,261+227%
- Mexico City vs New York$1,680 → $5,691+239%
- Seoul vs Tokyo$1,961 → $1,976+1%
- London vs Paris$4,144 → $2,753−34%
- Dubai vs Singapore$3,319 → $4,261+28%
- New York vs San Francisco$5,691 → $4,850−15%
- Bangkok vs Chiang Mai$1,304 → $898−31%
- Buenos Aires vs São Paulo$1,316 → $1,3210%
- London vs Sydney$4,144 → $3,486−16%
- Austin vs San Francisco$3,086 → $4,850+57%
- Hong Kong vs Taipei$3,299 → $1,424−57%
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Rent, groceries, eating out and monthly budgets for every city we cover.
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FAQ
Los Angeles vs San Francisco: common questions
Is San Francisco cheaper than Los Angeles?
No. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about $4,850 a month in San Francisco, against $3,968 in Los Angeles: 22% more.
How much is rent in San Francisco compared with Los Angeles?
A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of San Francisco rents for about $3,500 a month, +30% compared with $2,700 in Los Angeles. Outside the centre it's about $2,520 against $1,944.
How much money do I need to move from Los Angeles to San Francisco?
To keep the lifestyle that costs $3,968 a month in Los Angeles, plan on about $4,850 in San Francisco for one person. A family of four would need about $12,735, compared with $10,690 in Los Angeles.
How much does eating out cost in San Francisco vs Los Angeles?
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about $23.92 in San Francisco and $21.80 in Los Angeles. A regular cappuccino is about $5.28 against $4.85.
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