🇺🇸 CA, United States · #12 of 538 cities · 2026

Cost of Living in San Francisco

22.8% above the United States average

Ranked #12 of 538 cities · More expensive than 97.8% of cities worldwide

Compared to United States average

Rent Prices

Rent Prices in San Francisco

Apartment City Centre Outside Centre You Save
1-Bedroom USD 3,413/mo USD 2,771/mo 19%
3-Bedroom USD 5,720/mo USD 4,629/mo 19%
Numbeo · 2026-03-12

Multi-Source Comparison

★★ Medium Confidence

San Francisco has a composite cost index of 85.7 from 4 independent data sources.

85.7
Composite
4
Sources
7.9
Spread

Source Values (NYC = 100)

Numbeo
89.1
Expatistan
82.2
LivingCost
116.6
SIM
85.4
Eurostat Validation (EU27 = 100) Gov. Data
Eurostat
156.6

Based on 108 country PLI x 1.45 city factor

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

Cost Indices

Cost of Living
+22.8% Very expensive
Rent
+32.9% Very expensive
Groceries
+24.8% Very expensive
Restaurants
+22.4% Very expensive
Purchasing Power
+16.6% Strong

Living in San Francisco: What to Expect

San Francisco is very expensive by global standards (ranked #12 of 538 cities). It is 22.8% more expensive than the United States average, based on 74 cities.

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

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

Similar Cities

How Does San Francisco Compare?

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