What a trip to San Francisco costs, worked out for your days and your party, with every price traced to where it comes from. And then the part most budgets skip: how to actually pay once you are there.
Food, getting around and sights in San Francisco come to $170 – $200 per person per day. Accommodation, flights and the airport transfer are on top.Prices reviewed: November 2026.
Days, people and how you like to travel decide almost everything. Flights are left out: they depend on where you start.
You still need, flights aside
$2,300 – $2,800
$170 – $200 per person per day · 7 days and 2 people
Expected
$2,300 – $2,800
Most trips land in here
Set aside
$2,800
With this you are unlikely to run short
Cushion, kept apart
$260
10% of the trip
Food$1,200 – $1,700
Getting around$160 – $240
Airport, both ways$9
Sights and activities$670 – $770
Nights out$89 – $180
Lodging tax and odds and ends$100 – $130
Of that, in cash: $29 – $310
The cash share is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement. Your own bank may charge on top; this page cannot know that.
Accommodation is not in this figure. Add your price per night to include it.
Flights are not included.
You probably will not spend the cushion. Having it to hand covers a night you had not planned, a taxi, or a changed ticket.
Styles
What a day in San Francisco costs, by how you travel
Per person per day, two travelling, without accommodation, flights or the airport transfer. A style is not a figure: it is a way of eating, getting around and seeing things, and each one is spelled out below.
Budget
$100 – $110 per person per day
Local food, public transport, the odd paid sight.
FoodLocal and cheap
$58 – $67
Getting aroundPublic transport
$11 – $17
Sights and activitiesThe odd paid sight
$24 – $28
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
$4.70 – $5.60
Mid-range
$170 – $200 per person per day
Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.
FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
$83 – $120
Getting aroundPublic transport
$11 – $17
Sights and activitiesOne paid sight a day
$48 – $55
Nights outNow and then
$6.40 – $13.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
$7.10 – $9.50
Comfort
$270 – $300 per person per day
The best food level we can price, a taxi when it helps, two paid sights a day.
FoodRestaurants most of the time
$120 – $150
Getting aroundPublic transport, and a taxi now and then
$14 – $20
Sights and activitiesTwo paid sights a day
$96 – $110
Nights outNow and then
$6.40 – $13.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
$12 – $14
A style's total is not the sum of the extremes of its lines: nobody has a trip where everything comes out cheap, or everything dear. “Sundries” is an assumption of ours, 5% of food, transport and sights, not a measurement.
By length of trip
How much money for 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days in San Francisco
Per person, two travelling together, without accommodation or flights. It is not the daily figure times the days: airport transfers are paid once, so they weigh less the longer you stay.
Days
Budget
Mid-range
Comfort
3
$310 – $350 $100 – $120 a day
$510 – $620 $170 – $210 a day
$800 – $900 $270 – $300 a day
5
$510 – $570 $100 – $110 a day
$820 – $1,000 $160 – $200 a day
$1,300 – $1,500 $260 – $290 a day
7
$720 – $800 $100 – $110 a day
$1,200 – $1,400 $170 – $200 a day
$1,900 – $2,100 $270 – $300 a day
10
$1,000 – $1,100 $100 – $110 a day
$1,700 – $2,000 $170 – $200 a day
$2,700 – $3,000 $270 – $300 a day
14
$1,400 – $1,600 $100 – $110 a day
$2,300 – $2,800 $170 – $200 a day
$3,700 – $4,200 $270 – $300 a day
Add your accommodation in the calculator above: it is the largest line and the one we cannot source yet.
Prices
What things cost in San Francisco
Eating and drinking: no official statistic measures what eating out costs here, so these are prices from the menu each place publishes on its own website, and each row says where it comes from. It is a sample, not an average: there are cheaper and dearer places, and tourist areas cost more.
What
Price
Source
Eating and drinking
Coffee, Tadich Grill
$4.75
From the sourceNov 2026
Coffee, Sears Fine Food
$5.50
From the sourceNov 2026
Breakfast: two eggs with hash browns and toast, Sears Fine Food
$17.00
From the sourceNov 2026
18 Swedish pancakes, Sears Fine Food
$19.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Super taco, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter)
$5.50
From the sourceNov 2026
Regular burrito, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter)
$11.95
From the sourceNov 2026
Super Burrito Supreme, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter)
$16.90
From the sourceNov 2026
Flame-grilled burger with fries or salad, Sears Fine Food
$21.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Fish and chips, Sears Fine Food
$23.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Clam chowder, bowl, Tadich Grill
$13.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Pacific rockfish fillet, Tadich Grill
$31.50
From the sourceNov 2026
Draught Paulaner Pils, half litre, Biergarten
$9.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Glass of wine, Tadich Grill
$13.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Getting around
Muni (bus, streetcar and light rail), fare by Clipper or contactless card
$2.85
From the sourceNov 2026
Muni day pass (not valid on cable cars)
$5.70
From the sourceNov 2026
Muni Visitor Passport, 1 day, cable cars included
$15.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Muni Visitor Passport, 3 days, cable cars included
$35.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Muni Visitor Passport, 7 days, cable cars included
$47.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Cable car, single ride
$9.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Taxi, 4 km by day, not counting waiting time
$11.30
From the sourceNov 2026
SamTrans bus 292, airport–downtown (Salesforce Transit Center)
$2.25
From the sourceNov 2026
Sights
Alcatraz day tour, ferry included, adult
$47.95
From the sourceNov 2026
California Academy of Sciences, adult (regular – peak)
$49.00 – $55.00
From the sourceNov 2026
Menu prices here exclude tax and tip: the budget adds the 8.625% sales tax to everything, plus a 15%–20% tip on what you eat or drink sitting down, the range the tourism office gives. The tip is a custom, not a measured price.
From the source means we read it where it is set: the operator, the bank, the city or the statistics office. Reported means a guide or the press says so and we have not seen the original. Where sources disagree we show both figures and leave the price out of every sum.
What each food level is made of
A food level is not a number we chose. It is two lists of dishes from the table above, a cheap day and a dear one, and the price is the sum.
Local and cheap
From Breakfast: two eggs with hash browns and toast, Sears Fine Food + Coffee, Sears Fine Food + Regular burrito, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter) + Super taco, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter) + Draught Paulaner Pils, half litre, Biergarten ($48.95 on the menu; $57.90 with tax and tip) to 18 Swedish pancakes, Sears Fine Food + Coffee, Sears Fine Food + Super Burrito Supreme, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter) + Super taco, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter) + Draught Paulaner Pils, half litre, Biergarten ($55.90 on the menu; $67.42 with tax and tip).
Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
From Breakfast: two eggs with hash browns and toast, Sears Fine Food + Coffee, Sears Fine Food + Flame-grilled burger with fries or salad, Sears Fine Food + Super Burrito Supreme, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter) + Draught Paulaner Pils, half litre, Biergarten ($69.40 on the menu; $83.26 with tax and tip) to 18 Swedish pancakes, Sears Fine Food + Coffee, Sears Fine Food + Fish and chips, Sears Fine Food + Pacific rockfish fillet, Tadich Grill + Glass of wine, Tadich Grill ($92.00 on the menu; $118 with tax and tip).
Restaurants most of the time
From Breakfast: two eggs with hash browns and toast, Sears Fine Food + Coffee, Sears Fine Food + Flame-grilled burger with fries or salad, Sears Fine Food + Clam chowder, bowl, Tadich Grill + Pacific rockfish fillet, Tadich Grill + Glass of wine, Tadich Grill ($101 on the menu; $125 with tax and tip) to 18 Swedish pancakes, Sears Fine Food + Coffee, Sears Fine Food + Fish and chips, Sears Fine Food + Clam chowder, bowl, Tadich Grill + Pacific rockfish fillet, Tadich Grill + Glass of wine, Tadich Grill × 2 ($118 on the menu; $152 with tax and tip).
Getting around
Which ticket pays off
A pass is only cheaper past a certain number of rides. This is that number, worked out from the published fares.
1-day pass at $5.70: it pays off from 2 rides a day at $2.85 each.
3-day pass at $35.00: it pays off from 5 rides a day at $2.85 each.
7-day pass at $47.00: it pays off from 3 rides a day at $2.85 each.
A pass only counts on the lines it covers. Check which ones before you buy.
Accommodation
What the night costs, and the tax on top
There is no open source of hotel prices, and we have not sampled this city yet. So the calculator asks you for the price you have seen instead of printing one that looks plausible.
What saves money in San Francisco, and what does not
Each line is a subtraction done with the prices on this page. No tricks: just the sum.
What saves
Eating “Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner” instead of “Restaurants most of the time”: $33 – $42 less per person per day.
Eating “Local and cheap” instead of “Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner”: $25 – $51 less per person per day.
“Coffee, Tadich Grill” ($4.75) instead of “Coffee, Sears Fine Food” ($5.50): $0.75 less each time.
“Regular burrito, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter)” ($11.95) instead of “Super Burrito Supreme, Pancho Villa Taqueria (counter)” ($16.90): $4.95 less each time.
What does not
The 1-day pass ($5.70) on fewer than 2 rides of $2.85 a day: it costs more than paying for each ticket.
Paying
Payments and tipping in the United States
What holds for the whole country: whether to tip.
Tipping
Restaurants
Customary
Bars and cafés
Customary
Hotels
Customary
Taxis
Customary
If something goes wrong
The numbers and where to go, as the official source publishes them.
How much money do you need for a week in San Francisco?
For seven days, $1,200 – $1,400 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included. The airport transfer, there and back, is included.
How much money do you need for 3 days in San Francisco?
For 3 days, $510 – $620 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included. The airport transfer, there and back, is included.
What is a realistic daily budget in San Francisco?
Per person per day, without accommodation or flights: $100 – $110 on the “Budget” style, $170 – $200 on the “Mid-range” style, and $270 – $300 on the “Comfort” style.
Can you travel to San Francisco on a budget?
The cheapest style we work out is “Budget”: $100 – $110 per person per day, without accommodation or flights. Local food, public transport, the odd paid sight.
How much does food cost in San Francisco?
From $58 per person per day (“Local and cheap”) to $150 (“Restaurants most of the time”). The price table has what each dish costs.
How much does transport cost in San Francisco?
A ride on public transport costs $2.85. “Taxi, 4 km by day, not counting waiting time”: $11.30. The 1-day pass costs $5.70 and pays off from 2 rides a day at $2.85 each.
Is there a lodging tax in San Francisco?
Yes: 14% of the room price.
How much cash should you carry in San Francisco?
For a week on the “Mid-range” style, about $15 – $150 per person, two travelling. It is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement.
Do you tip in San Francisco?
Restaurants: customary. Bars and cafés: customary. Hotels: customary. Taxis: customary.
Sources
Where every figure comes from
Each price on this page carries its source. These are all of them. Prices reviewed: November 2026.
This page tells you how much to take. The app keeps count of what you spend.
Joru works out the budget of your itinerary day by day and sets it against what you actually spend, by category and with the exchange rate. On your phone, with no account.
