We spent three busy nights in San Francisco in August 2023. Our total San Francisco budget spend was $1,825 USD ($2,445 CAD), all-inclusive.
This number may seem high for a four day budget trip for two people, but it includes our pre-travel expenses like our international flights. There are ways we could have done it for less, but we wanted to maximize our time by staying in a central location and chose to travel in the high season to a major metropolitan city known for being expensive.
Our three night / four day trip to San Francisco was part of a bigger nine day trip to the San Francisco Bay Area in general, the majority of which we spent in San Mateo staying with a good friend. Having the balance of a friend-focused visit combined with a bustling city trip was not only good for the soul but also helped us justify the higher spend.
The following is a breakdown of what we spent in San Francisco only. We arrived early afternoon on a Wednesday and left mid-afternoon on a Saturday in August 2023. All costs are for the both of us combined.
For those less interested in the budget and more interested in the fun, check out San Francisco: The Most Amazing Things To Do In The City.
Budget Breakdown
Flight $712 USD ($955 CAD)
- Round trip flights from Edmonton to San Francisco with a brief layover in Calgary.
Airport Parking $50 USD ($67 CAD)
- Self parking at the airport for nine days.
Hotel $572 USD ($767 CAD)
- Hotel for three nights in a convenient location near Union Square.
- We booked through Expedia where we received a membership discount of 20% off.
Travel Insurance $103 USD ($138 CAD)
- We have travel insurance through my work and our credit card, but chose to take additional coverage for the full nine days just in case.
Attractions $133 USD ($178 CAD)
- We only ended up paying for two attractions: Coit Tower and the Alcatraz Night Tour. I highly recommend visiting Alcatraz.
Rideshares $82 USD ($110 CAD)
- It’s unlike us to spend more on rideshares than public transportation but because we spent so much of our time walking around, by the end of the day we were far away, exhausted and ready to lay our heads on the bed. It’s a convenience we were willing to splurge for.
Groceries $66 USD ($88 CAD)
- We frequented our favorite American grocery chain Trader Joe’s. If you’ve read our Top 10 Experiences We Had in San Francisco post, you’ll know I have a deep appreciation for this store.
Eating Out $57 USD ($76 CAD)
- This included one snack, one lunch and one brunch for each of us out at restaurants. The best meal was probably a little banh mi shop near our hotel that we had on our last day before heading to the airport.
Public Transportation $32 USD ($43 CAD)
- This includes the Caltrain ride from San Mateo to the city. And the BART ride from the city to the airport. We did not ride the cable car this trip. The reason why is simply because the lineups were long and we had other things we wanted to do.
Coffee $18 USD ($24 CAD)
- We had four coffees total when out and about (the majority of coffee we had sitting in our hotel bed). My favorite was a simple coffee at a grocer in Little Italy where we sat outside and watched the world go by. My second favorite was a fancy latte in Castro where we did the same. Both completely different but equally amazing experiences.
Grand Total: $1825 USD ($2445 CAD)
When you take the flights out of the equation, which cost over a third of the total price, we averaged $140 USD per person, per day. This is a far cry from the $17 USD per person, per day we spent during our 6.5 month trip South America in 2017-2018, however, these are two vastly different trips. When we traveled South America we had a strict budget to follow, seven countries to visit and no income coming in. South America as a whole is a much more affordable destination than the North American countries of Canada and the United States, where we’ve been basing a lot of our travels the past few years, so it’s hard to compare the two.
Curious about our South America budget breakdown? Check it out here: 9 Months Budget Travel in South America: What We Spent.
There are certainly ways to make your dollar stretch in San Francisco and we did what we could within the parameters we set ourselves. If you want to learn a bit about how to travel for less in the city, check out Budget Friendly Travel Guide: How to Visit San Francisco for Less.
What do you think? Did we spend too much, too little, or just the right amount? Let us know in the comments below.
