2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
South San Francisco, CA vs Bethesda, MD

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Bethesda or is it cheaper to live in South San Francisco?
- Bethesda is 44.6% less expensive than South San Francisco.

Which city has more affordable housing, Bethesda or South San Francisco?
- Bethesda housing costs are 16.2% less expensive than South San Francisco housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in South San Francisco or is Health Care more affordable in Bethesda.
- Health related expenses are 26.1% less in Bethesda.
 South San Francisco, CABethesda, MDUnited States
 Overall  Unlock138.5100
 Food & Groceries112.8  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock86.8100
 Housing429.9  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,072,100$338,100
 Utilities88  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock128.8100
 Miscellaneous162.3  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for South San Francisco    5 Reviews

It's amazing, but many, many people, including people who live in SF, think that SSF is just a part of SF. Not true. We're right across the highway from SFO, which is  More

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Over 17 years ago

One frustrating thing about South City weather is the number of overcast & foggy days, as compared to other nearby cities on the Peninsula. You can literally look  More

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Over 19 years ago

Been living in bayview hunters point for about 12 years now. What I can say that it's a rough place to live, no one cares about us and the mayor of San Francisco  More

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Reviews for Bethesda    12 Reviews

Bethesda is awesome if you want to live near DC and in a relatively safe city that has few parking issues. Montgomery county has parking lots in downtown Bethesda and  More

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Amenities are plentiful, but costs continue to rise as do local and state taxes. Overall not a friendly place to  More

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Essentially an upscale suburb of Washington DC. Public transport is easy, there's plenty to do (though with none of the edginess of living closer in DC) and it's minutes  More

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