2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
San Francisco, CA vs Santa Monica, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Santa Monica or is it cheaper to live in San Francisco?
- Santa Monica is 34.1% less expensive than San Francisco.

Which city has more affordable housing, Santa Monica or San Francisco?
- Santa Monica housing costs are 23.3% more expensive than San Francisco housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in San Francisco or is Health Care more affordable in Santa Monica.
- Health related expenses are 21.5% less in Santa Monica.
 San Francisco, CASanta Monica, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock161.7100
 Food & Groceries116.6  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock90.2100
 Housing504.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,656,900$338,100
 Utilities98  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock154.8100
 Miscellaneous162.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for San Francisco    149 Reviews

from a single guy's perspective. let's start this review from 2017. I moved here to be near to my sister who also relocated, and also to attend Cal State East Bay in  More

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I've lived in San Francisco for ten years. I thought I would write a balanced review for people looking to move here. My family is from places like Boise, Atlanta,  More

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I've lived in San Francisco for ten years. I thought I would write a balanced review for people looking to move here. My family is from places like Boise, Atlanta,  More

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Reviews for Santa Monica    24 Reviews

I moved here to Santa Monica over 10 years ago from Oklahoma City. I was surprised to see that Oklahoma City was ranked higher than Santa Monica on best places. I  More

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I've lived in Santa Monica for over 30 years. It's a Mediterranean climate--sunny and temperate when the rest of the country is under snow! I am walking distance to  More

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I have lived in this city for 4 decades, and it is never been worse than it is now. It is a dangerous disgusting hell hole. Between the crime, the homeless that are not  More

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