Should you visit Dallas or San Francisco?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Dallas and San Francisco can help you decide which place is right for you.
Dallas
Located in the north central part of the state, Dallas is a prominent city in Texas and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in the United States of America. The business reputation of Dallas rose from its historical status as the center for cotton and oil industries. It was also positioned among numerous railroads.
San Francisco
San Francisco is a beautiful city that is famous for it's picturesque neighborhoods, liberal character, and stunning location on the bay. Some people describe San Francisco as the United State's most "European City." This title most likely comes from its compact development and its easy walkability. It also has no shortage of parks and public spaces where you can pass some time. The city sits on the end of a peninsula and offers stunning views of the blue bay, rolling green hills, and the striking Golden Gate Bridge.
Which city is cheaper, San Francisco or Dallas?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Dallas is $103, while the average daily cost in San Francisco is $175. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Dallas and San Francisco in more detail.
Accommodation
Dallas's average price for two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room is $116. A typical place to stay for one person, per day is $58.
The prices for places to stay in San Francisco can vary by date, location, and type. Generally, the average cost for accommodation per person is $106, while a typical double-occupancy hotel room for two people will cost around $212.
Food
The price of a meal in Dallas can vary widely. However, the average price for food per day is $28 per person, and a typical meal will cost around $11 based on the spending of previous visitors. Less expensive dining options can be found by eating street food or at fast food restaurants.
On average, meal and food prices in San Francisco cost around $32 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $13.
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Food
Meals for one day
Dallas $28
San Francisco $32
Typical Food prices in Dallas
Some typical examples of dining costs in Dallas are as follows:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Dallas
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Dallas.
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Live from Eggs Benedict Brunch Cooking Class with Bri from MasteChef:
$33
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Live from Eggs Benedict Cooking Class with Bri from MasterChef:
$33
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Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament Admission Ticket in Dallas:
$73
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Secret Food Tour of Dallas w/ Private Tour Option:
$221
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Dallas Secret Food Tour:
$224
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in San Francisco
For San Francisco, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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San Francisco Virtual Food Tour with Local Guide:
$15
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Traveling Spoon Pad Thai and Papaya Salad Private Online Cooking Class:
$25
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Lonely Planet Experiences: North Beach & Chinatown Food Tour:
$66
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North Beach and Little Italy Food Tour:
$69
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Mission District Walking Food Tour:
$75
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San Francisco North Beach Food Tour:
$75
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Cooking with Ale: let's make Tiramisu - private groups:
$80
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San Francisco Food Tour: Ferry Building and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market:
$80
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Farmers' Market & Ferry Building Food Tour:
$82
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American Cooking Class in San Francisco with a Local near Golden Gate Park:
$82
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San Francisco Chinatown Food Tour:
$89
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Russian Hill Gourmet Food Tour:
$97
Local Transportation
The average price of local transportation around Dallas is $23 per person, per day. As this average includes both taxis and public transport, keep in mind that the prices of private drivers and taxis are significantly more expensive than public transportation.
San Francisco's transportation costs can vary by the type of transport chosen by visitors. Naturally, taxis and private drivers cost much more than public transportation options. On average, visitors spend $13 per person, per day on transportation in San Francisco.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Dallas
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Dallas:
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Private Round-Trip Transfer to Winstar Casino from Dallas:
$720
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Private transfer: Dallas to Dallas Airport (DAL):
$622
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Dallas Love Field Airport - Ground Transfer to/from Your Hotel:
$245
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DFW - Dallas Fort Worth Airport - Round Trip Ground Transfer to/from Your Hotel:
$245
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Round trip transfer in private minivan from-to Love Field Airport in Dallas City:
$187
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Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) to Dallas - Round-Trip Private Transfer:
$169
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RoundTrip transfer in executive private car from-to Love Field Airpt-Dallas City:
$147
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Departure Private Transfers from Dallas to Dallas Airport DFW in Luxury Van:
$130
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Dallas Airport Transfers : Dallas City to Dallas Airport DFW in Luxury SUV:
$128
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Departure Private Transfers from Dallas to Dallas Airport DFW in Luxury SUV:
$128
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Private Dallas Transfer: Dallas Airport DAL to Hotel:
$123
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Private Dallas Transfer: Hotel to Dallas Airport DAL:
$123
Typical Local Transportation prices in San Francisco
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in San Francisco:
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Taxi to SFO
$45
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Golden Gate Bridge Toll
$6.00
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Alcatraz Tour
$30
Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Francisco
Also for San Francisco, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Airport Transfer between San Francisco Airport & City Center:
$17
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San Francisco Airport Public Transfer by BART:
$21
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Private Arrival Transfer from San Francisco Airport SFO:
$40
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Private Departure Transfer to San Francisco Airport SFO:
$40
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Private Airport Transfer: from San Francisco to San Francisco Int. Airport (SFO):
$43
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Private Departure Transfer from San Francisco to SFO San Francisco Airport:
$57
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San Francisco Airport (SFO) to Cruise Terminal - Arrival Private Transfer:
$60
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Cruise Terminal to San Francisco Airport (SFO) - Departure Private Transfer:
$60
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San Francisco Departure Chauffeur Driven Airport Transfer by Executive Sedan:
$65
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San Francisco Departure Chauffeur Driven Airport Transfer:
$65
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Private transfer from San Francisco to SFO Airport for up to 4 passengers:
$73
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Private SFO Departure Transfer from San Francisco:
$74
Is it cheaper to fly into Dallas or San Francisco?
Prices for flights to both San Francisco and Dallas change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Dallas's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around $10 per person, per day. This cost can vary widely by the type of activity, however, as this includes admission tickets, day tours, museums, and other things to do.
Sightseeing, admission tickets, things to do, and other entertainment expenses in San Francisco can vary widely by price. On average, visitors spend around $37 per person, per day on entertainment and sightseeing here.
Tours and Activities in Dallas
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Dallas are as follows:
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2-Hour Dallas and JFK Limousine Tour:
$70
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2-Hour Historic Dallas Segway Tour:
$59
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3-Hour Small-Group Dallas Cowboys Stadium Tour:
$90
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Best of Dallas Sightseeing Bus Tour: Reunion Tower GeO-Deck or CityPass:
$60
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Create Your Own Dallas Ft. Worth Combination Tour:
$129
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Dallas City Highlights Tour:
$29
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Dallas City Tour:
$51
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Dallas Cruizer Tour:
$25
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Dallas Food and Culture Tour:
$36
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Dallas Highlights Tour:
$69
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Dallas JFK and West Village Restaurant Walking Tour:
$78
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Dallas Shopping Tour:
$106
Tours and Activities in San Francisco
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for San Francisco.
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San Francisco Private Tour: 19th Century Gold Rush Exploration Game:
$4.96
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Food, History, and Resistance: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of San Francisco's Japantown:
$5.34
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San Francisco's Barbary Past Walking Audio Tour:
$5.34
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Syn City SF: The Synesthesia Walking Audio Tour of Haight-Ashbury by VoiceMap:
$5.34
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Union Square to Lotta's Fountain Walking Tour by VoiceMap:
$5.40
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Walk the Haight Audio Tour: Tune into San Francisco’s Hippie Counterculture:
$5.99
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San Francisco Private Tour: 70s Hippie Culture Exploration Game:
$6.21
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The Remarkable History of San Francisco's Glen Park and Glen Canyon Audio Tour:
$7.55
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Ultimate San Francisco Self-Driving Audio Tour:
$8.00
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Bike Tour of Tucson:
$10
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The Flyer San Francisco Admission Ticket:
$12
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San Francisco Scavenger Hunt: SF Park Tour and Haight-Ashbury Experience:
$12
For more ideas for your next trip, check out The Best Museums in San Francisco, The Best Outdoor Activities in San Francisco, and Things to Do In San Francisco on a Rainy Day.
Alcohol
The average person spends about $9.82 on alcoholic beverages in Dallas per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In San Francisco, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is $15.
Sample the Local Flavors in Dallas
Also in Dallas, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Dallas Bar Hunt: Dallas Dynasty Bar Crawl:
$12
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Haunted Dallas Ghost and Pub Walking Tour:
$27
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Party Bike Pub Crawl in Deep Ellum and Downtown Dallas:
$55
Sample the Local Flavors in San Francisco
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in San Francisco:
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San Francisco Bar Hunt: Soul of San Francisco Bar Crawl:
$12
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3-Hour Pub Crawl in San Francisco:
$18
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San Francisco North Beach Pub Tour:
$58
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San Francisco North Beach Pub Crawl:
$60
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From Tri-Valley Half-Day Wine Tour:
$75
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Half-Day Sonoma Wine Tour:
$100
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San Francisco City & Wine tour:
$115
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Shore Excursion: Napa and Sonoma Ultimate Wine Tasting Experience Full-Day Tour:
$135
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Napa & Sonoma Full-Day Wine Tasting Tour with Optional Lunch:
$135
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Full-Day Muir Woods with Napa and Sonoma Wine Tour:
$135
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Chariot wine tour:
$145
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Viticulture with Charm: Sonoma Valley Wine Tour from San Francisco:
$149
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Dallas and San Francisco, we can see that San Francisco is more expensive. And not only is Dallas much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Dallas would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Dallas and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in San Francisco would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in San Francisco than you might in Dallas.
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