Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Romford

For one person, living is cheaper in Romford: $2,706 a month against $4,012 in San Diego, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in San Diego, CA
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San Diego, CA Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Romford
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Romford Living Index

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San Diego, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,012

/mo nomad

Romford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Diego, CA and in Romford

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Diego, CA and in Romford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,012 in San Diego, CA versus $2,706 in Romford.

San Diego, CA $4,012
Romford $2,706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,068 in San Diego, CA versus $4,122 in Romford.

San Diego, CA $6,068
Romford $4,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,123 in San Diego, CA versus $5,538 in Romford.

San Diego, CA $8,123
Romford $5,538

Living in San Diego, CA is roughly 48% more expensive than in Romford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Diego, CA 196% above, Romford 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 $24.72

$23.90 £17.93

3.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$108 £81.3

-7.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.63 $14.63

$10.75 £8.07

36.09%

Cappuccino

$5.89 $5.89

$4.88 £3.66

20.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.68 £2.01

16.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.85 £1.39

49.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 $8.10

$7.62 £5.72

6.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$6.78 £5.09

48.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.83 £1.37

-27.87%

White Bread (500g)

$5.63 $5.63

$1.74 £1.30

223.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.62 £1.96

82.44%

Eggs

$6.71 $6.71

$4.88 £3.66

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 $17.10

$9.51 £7.13

79.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$9.56 £7.17

44.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.43 $21.43

$16.02 £12.02

33.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.03 £2.28

52.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.37 £1.03

36.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.24 £2.43

44.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.55 £2.66

38.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.66 £1.25

101.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.82 £1.37

58.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.25 £0.93

67.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.80 £1.35

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$23.41 £17.56

-49.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.25 $16.25

$13.22 £9.92

22.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.21 £2.41

-27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$4.14 £3.11

-23.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$4.58 £3.43

-46.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.4 $73.4

$97.1 £72.8

-24.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$5.51 £4.13

-44.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.59 £1.94

-20.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.86 $27.86

$25.48 £19.11

9.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.08 £1.56

-23.08%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.6K $29.6K

$38.9K £29.2K

-23.84%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K $26.7K

$40.4K £30.3K

-33.82%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$252 $252

$381 £286

-33.81%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$18.84 £14.13

274.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 $80.8

$43.29 £32.48

86.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 $69.0

$50.6 £37.94

36.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.09 $24.09

Cinema Ticket

$20.16 $20.16

$17.03 £12.78

18.38%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,950 $1,950

$2,581 £1,936

-24.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K $36.7K

$35.1K £26.4K

4.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 $63.6

$90.0 £67.6

-29.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 $55.9

$46.87 £35.16

19.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$91.7 £68.8

23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$130 £97.3

10.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,207 $3,207

$1,852 £1,389

73.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,360 $2,360

$1,201 £901

96.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,381 $5,381

$3,269 £2,452

64.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,426 $4,426

$2,259 £1,695

95.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,234 $8,234

$5,605 £4,205

46.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,506 $6,506

$3,693 £2,770

76.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,039 $5,039

$2,863 £2,148

76.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

35.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Diego, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Romford: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Diego, CA

$2.4K 58.8%

Romford

$1.2K 44.4% 49.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

San Diego, CA

$477 11.9%

Romford

$330 12.2% 30.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Diego, CA

$404 10.1%

Romford

$443 16.4% 9.8% $40

Eating Out

San Diego, CA

$396 9.9%

Romford

$352 13% 11.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

San Diego, CA

$169 4.2%

Romford

$161 6% 4.8% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

San Diego, CA

$109 2.7%

Romford

$85 3.1% 22.6% $25

Getting Around

San Diego, CA

$97 2.4%

Romford

$134 5% 38.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,207 in San Diego, CA and $1,852 in Romford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Diego, CA pays 76% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $101 in San Diego, CA vs $108 in Romford. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $330, with Romford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Diego, CA

🇬🇧 Romford

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

06:46 6:46 AM

8 h ahead of San Diego, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,386,932

95,894

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Diego, CA Romford 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

San Diego, CA
Romford

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Diego, CA vs Romford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Diego, CA and Romford differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($4,012 vs $2,706 including rent). Romford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 76% higher in San Diego, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,207 in San Diego, CA versus $1,852 in Romford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Romford runs roughly 32% less than in San Diego, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,950 in San Diego, CA versus $2,581 in Romford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Romford is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, San Diego, CA and Romford are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Romford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in San Diego, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.