🇺🇸 CA, United States · #29 of 558 cities · 2026

Cost of Living in San Diego

12.9% above the United States average

Ranked #29 of 558 cities · More expensive than 94.8% of cities worldwide

Compared to United States average

Rent Prices

Rent Prices in San Diego

Apartment City Centre Outside Centre You Save
1-Bedroom USD 3,183/mo USD 2,770/mo 13%
3-Bedroom USD 5,337/mo USD 4,241/mo 13%
Numbeo · 2026-03-12

Prices

Prices of Goods & Services in San Diego

🛒

Groceries

Apples (1kg)
$4.26
Beer (0.5L, supermarket)
$3.24
Bread (500g)
$3.59
Local cheese (1kg)
$16.08
Chicken (1kg)
$13.62
Cigarettes (Marlboro)
$12.36
Eggs (12)
$6.40
Milk (1L)
$1.30
Potatoes (1kg)
$2.49
Tomatoes (1kg)
$4.83
Water (1.5L)
$2.39
Wine (mid-range)
$17.50
🍽️

Restaurants

Draft beer (0.5L)
$8.50
Cappuccino
$6.44
McMeal
$15.00
Cheap meal
$23.75
Mid-range dinner (2 people)
$89.50
👗

Clothing & Shoes

Business shoes (leather)
$141.61
Jeans (Levi's 501)
$62.20
Sport shoes (Nike)
$109.06
Summer dress (Zara/H&M)
$53.14
🏋️

Leisure

Cinema ticket
$17.00
Gym membership
$89.73
🚌

Transportation

Gasoline (1L)
$1.22
Taxi start
$3.00
Monthly pass
$72.00

Utilities

Basic utilities (85m²)
$276.82

Prices in local currency, cross-referenced from multiple independent sources. August 2026.

Multi-Source Comparison

★★ Medium Confidence

San Diego has a composite cost index of 64.9 from 3 independent data sources.

64.9
Composite
3
Sources
3.8
Spread

Source Values (NYC = 100)

Numbeo
61.1
Expatistan
64.9
LivingCost
No data
SIM
83.4
Eurostat Validation (EU27 = 100) Gov. Data
Eurostat
124.2

Based on 108 country PLI x 1.15 city factor

View all 127 cities | Data last updated: 2026-03-18

Cost Indices

Cost of Living
+12.9% Expensive
Rent
+32.0% Very expensive
Groceries
+8.0% Average
Restaurants
+20.4% Very expensive
Purchasing Power
-23.3% Very weak

Living in San Diego: What to Expect

San Diego is expensive by global standards (ranked #29 of 558 cities). It is 12.9% more expensive than the United States average, based on 80 cities.

Groceries are average, while dining out is very expensive. Groceries offers the best value, while Rent is the priciest.

Local purchasing power is limited — residents can afford fewer goods and services than in most cities.

Similar Cities

How Does San Diego Compare?

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