How to Save Money in San Francisco: A Local's Biggest Money-Saving Tips

San Francisco has a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities in the country. And, parts of it can be.

But with a little planning before you arrive, you can save a lot without making your trip any harder. Below I'll walk you through how to save on getting around, where and when you stay, attractions, and food and drink.

I'm Jill, and I live right here in San Francisco. I've been helping visitors create memorable trips for more than 17 years, and these are the money-saving moves I share all the time.

I cover all of these tips in the video below, or keep reading for the full breakdown.

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1. Getting Around

Getting around is one of the easiest ways to save without making your trip harder. Let me put some real numbers on it.

Many visitors rent a car, but you most likely won't need one. Here are some estimates on what it actually costs if you do:

• Rental fee: $40 to $75 a day
• Hotel parking: $40 to $100 a night
• Parking around the city as you go: roughly $30 to $45 a day, since street parking is limited

That adds anywhere from $100 to $200 a day to your budget.

What should you do instead? Use public transit, and rent a car only for the one day you're actually driving out to Muir Woods or Napa. That one day runs about $40 to $75, with no parking to pay for.

It gives you a few hundred dollars back in your pocket.

Save on Muni

Muni is San Francisco's public transit system, which includes buses, streetcars, light rail, and cable cars.

As of summer 2026, a single Muni ride is $3 with a free two-hour transfer. Cable cars are separate at $9 a ride, with no transfers.

If you'll use transit a lot or ride the cable cars more than once, a pass pays off:

• Muni Passport: Unlimited rides for the day, cable cars included. Worth it once you're doing roughly two cable car rides plus a bus ride in a day. You can buy passports for 1, 3, or 7 days.
• Muni Day Pass: For days you're not riding the cable cars, I recommend the Muni Day Pass. It costs less than two regular bus, light rail, or streetcar rides, so anything beyond that saves you money.

>> Find out more on the official Muni site

Save Getting In From the Airport

The cost from SFO into the city ranges widely, from $2.25 on the SamTrans 292 bus to $40-$70 (before tax and tip) for a rideshare.

Of all the options, my top pick is BART.

It's the best balance of price and time, at about $12 one way.

If you want the full comparison, I break down every airport option, with pricing, in my SFO-to-San-Francisco guides.

>> SFO to Union Square

>> SFO to Fisherman's Wharf

Two More Ways to Save

• If you plan to visit the Presidio, there's a free shuttle that lets you get around the park. Plus, it lets you go deeper in without paying for a rideshare.
• Cluster your days so nearby attractions are grouped together. The less you crisscross the city, the less you spend getting around.

2. Where and When You Stay

Where and when you book in San Francisco is a big one, with a few things to think through before you reserve.

Don't Book on the Nightly Rate Alone

A room out by the airport, in South San Francisco, or across the bay can look like a steal. It will probably run you $50 to $75 a night less than staying in the city. But I recommend pricing the whole trip, not just the room. If you stay outside the city, you'll have additional costs such as:

• Needing to rent a car or using transit every single day to get in and out of the city.
• Using BART daily, which is about $12 per person, one way. And, it only drops you downtown. To reach Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, or the Golden Gate Bridge, you'll transfer to Muni, which costs extra.
• If you drive in instead, some routes charge a bridge toll each time, and you're back to paying parking fees all over again.

Staying outside the city isn't always the wrong call. Just make sure you add up the real cost of getting in and out from where you're staying to see whether you'd actually save, and by how much.

Watch the Events Calendar

Hotel rates swing widely and spike around our biggest events. This is usually not just on the event days, but the two to three days before and after, too.

The biggest is Dreamforce (September or October). Miss the early booking window, and rooms can double or even triple.

It's not the only one, though. Others include the RSAC Conference in spring, New Year's Eve, Pride weekend, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and the Fourth of July around Fisherman's Wharf. All of these push rates up.

So if a hotel price looks strangely high for your dates, check whether a big event is in town.

If you're not attending, even a slight shift in your dates can save you real money.

I keep a running events calendar so you can see what's happening during your stay.

And if you just want the cheapest rooms of the year? Early November, then most of January and February.

3. Activities and Attractions

I'll start with the good news. San Francisco is full of free things to do.

But there are several paid attractions that are worth the splurge, and a little planning around these will help keep your entire budget in check.

Let's start with how to map out your days. I recommend aiming for one to two paid activities a day and filling in around them with free ones.

From the Golden Gate Bridge to Lombard Street to the sea lions at Pier 39, you won't run out of free options. And some of the free stuff will end up being the highlight of your trip.

For plenty of ideas, see my free things to do in San Francisco guide. 

For the big-ticket activities, including touring Alcatraz, the California Academy of Sciences, or a day trip to Muir Woods or Wine Country, I recommend not buying each ticket individually if you're doing several.

A little planning ahead saves money. Three options are worth comparing:

• CityPass: This is a discount pass with a set list of attractions (always the big ones, like the Academy of Sciences and a bay cruise). Activate it, and you have several days to visit everything. A real deal if you're here three to seven days and plan to knock out most of the list. Get details for buying here.
• Go City: This one works differently. You buy it based on how many days you want to use it, and then fit in as many activities as you can within that window. Great for a go-go-go traveler, but if you're only doing one or two attractions a day, it won't pay off. More details here.
• Combo Tickets: This is what I recommend most. It's one ticket covering two or three activities at a discount. You get the savings without the pressure to race through a giant list, so if the fog rolls in or you just want to slow down, you've still got flexibility.

The popular combo tickets are:

• Muir Woods with a half-day in Wine Country
• Alcatraz with Muir Woods and Sausalito
• Alcatraz with the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus

One thing to know about any Alcatraz combo ticket. Your time on the island is assigned to you. You don't get to pick your ferry departure. So if a specific ferry slot is important to your plans, that's the tradeoff to know before booking.

The rule for all of it: sketch your must-dos first, then compare. Pass, combo, or individual tickets, the right answer depends on your list, not on which deal looks biggest.

4. Food and Drink

Food is another place you'll spend a lot, but a few habits add up to real savings, and you can still eat out.

• Order less than you think you'll eat. In the more touristy areas especially, portions run large. Order light to start. You can always add more. I often see visitors order appetizers and a full meal, then leave half of it untouched. Ordering less up front saves you money at every meal.
• Go for grab-and-go. You'll have a lot to choose from: pizza by the slice on nearly every block, dim sum in Chinatown, bakeries in every neighborhood, and great sandwich shops everywhere. Since about a fifth of San Francisco is green space, you're never far from a beautiful spot to eat. Grab a slice or a sandwich, find a view, and lunch ends up around $15 to $20. The Palace of Fine Arts and Tunnel Tops in the Presidio are two favorites.

One tip on that sandwich: get it on Dutch Crunch. It's one of my favorites, and you'll see it all over. You might know it back home as tiger bread or giraffe bread. Don't leave without trying it.

• Make lunch your big meal. Several San Francisco restaurants run lunch specials, so the same spot that's pricey at dinner is a deal at midday.
• Keep drinks in check. Drinks are where a restaurant tab really explodes. Keep them to a minimum, and lean on happy hours, which save you on both food and drinks.
• Don't buy everything where you're sitting. Grab a cookie or ice cream to go for dessert — Hot Cookie and Swensen's are two of my favorites. You can also pick up breakfast from a bakery, or a bottle of wine or some beers from a shop. There's a Trader Joe's in Fisherman's Wharf at Bay and Mason, and little markets all over Union Square.

The Bottom Line

A little planning before you arrive goes a long way, including for transit, your hotel dates, which attraction tickets you buy, and how you eat. Put a few of these to work, and you'll save a lot without giving up any of the trip. Have a wonderful visit to one of the best cities in the world.

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