Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, VA and Los Gatos, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria, VA: $3,249 a month against $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, VA
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Alexandria, VA Living Index
236

Cost of Living Index in Los Gatos, CA
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Los Gatos, CA Living Index

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Alexandria, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,249

/mo nomad

Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandria, VA and in Los Gatos, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,249 in Alexandria, VA versus $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA.

Alexandria, VA $3,249
Los Gatos, CA $4,903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,722 in Alexandria, VA versus $7,295 in Los Gatos, CA.

Alexandria, VA $4,722
Los Gatos, CA $7,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,195 in Alexandria, VA versus $9,686 in Los Gatos, CA.

Alexandria, VA $6,195
Los Gatos, CA $9,686

Living in Alexandria, VA costs roughly 34% less than in Los Gatos, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, VA 141% above, Los Gatos, CA 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$25.15 $25.15

-19.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 $103

$98.6 $98.6

4.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$14.88 $14.88

-20.50%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$6.50 $6.50

-30.46%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$3.04 $3.04

-10.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.45 $2.45

-8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 $6.58

$8.07 $8.07

-18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.86 $8.86

$8.20 $8.20

8.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.28 $1.28

-7.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.41 $4.41

-12.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$4.80 $4.80

-20.83%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$6.56 $6.56

-30.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$24.81 $24.81

-33.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$11.69 $11.69

30.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.04 $20.04

$13.00 $13.00

54.15%

Apples (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$5.58 $5.58

9.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$3.10 $3.10

-56.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$4.86 $4.86

55.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.84 $7.84

$5.70 $5.70

37.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.39 $3.39

-36.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.88 $3.88

-32.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.06 $3.06

-10.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.72 $2.72

-10.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$7.36 $7.36

26.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.35 $14.35

$12.81 $12.81

12.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.15 $2.15

-18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.55 $2.55

43.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.5 $51.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.97 $3.97

2.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$4.98 $4.98

-60.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.13 $25.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.57 $1.57

-35.03%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$30.2K $30.2K

21.71%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.4K $26.4K

-2.99%

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

$240 $240

$374 $374

-35.80%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$58.0 $58.0

-7.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$61.8 $61.8

24.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 $72.4

$147 $147

-50.70%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 $18.33

$17.05 $17.05

7.51%

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

$2,034 $2,034

$2,282 $2,282

-10.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.5K $65.5K

$24.0K $24.0K

172.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.10 $48.10

$52.0 $52.0

-7.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 $47.90

$39.24 $39.24

22.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$75.1 $75.1

61.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$60.3 $60.3

122.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 $2,315

$3,440 $3,440

-32.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 $1,737

$3,222 $3,222

-46.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 $3,390

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,776 $2,776

$6,089 $6,089

-54.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,743 $6,743

$3,511 $3,511

92.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,049 $4,049

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,951 $5,951

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

6.69

-0.75%

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

Last update for Alexandria, VA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria, VA

$1.7K 53.5%

Los Gatos, CA

$3.2K 65.7% 85.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, VA

$474 14.6%

Los Gatos, CA

$473 9.6% 0.2% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, VA

$371 11.4%

Los Gatos, CA

$494 10.1% 33.1% $123

Eating Out

Alexandria, VA

$322 9.9%

Los Gatos, CA

$403 8.2% 25.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, VA

$158 4.9%

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1% 35.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, VA

$109 3.4%

Los Gatos, CA

$181 3.7% 65.9% $72

Getting Around

Alexandria, VA

$78 2.4%

Los Gatos, CA

$29 * 0.6% 62.8% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,315 in Alexandria, VA and $3,440 in Los Gatos, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $103 in Alexandria, VA vs $99.0 in Los Gatos, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $474 vs $473 per month, with Los Gatos, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, VA

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

10:56 10:56 AM

3 h behind Alexandria, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

30,222

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Alexandria, VA Los Gatos, CA 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, VA
Los Gatos, CA

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

Alexandria, VA vs Los Gatos, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria, VA and Los Gatos, CA differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($3,249 vs $4,903 including rent). Alexandria, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,874 in Alexandria, VA and $7,355 in Los Gatos, CA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,315 in Alexandria, VA versus $3,440 in Los Gatos, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,034 in Alexandria, VA versus $2,282 in Los Gatos, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria, VA – a meal for two runs $103 versus $99.0 in Los Gatos, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Alexandria, VA 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, Alexandria, VA and Los Gatos, CA 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 Alexandria, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Los Gatos, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.