Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redwood City, CA and Waterbury, CT

For one person, living is cheaper in Redwood City, CA: $4,197 a month against $5,148 in Waterbury, CT, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waterbury, CT outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

203

Cost of Living Index in Redwood City, CA
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Redwood City, CA Living Index
248

Cost of Living Index in Waterbury, CT
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Waterbury, CT Living Index

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Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,197

/mo nomad

Waterbury, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$5,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Redwood City, CA and in Waterbury, CT

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,197 in Redwood City, CA versus $5,148 in Waterbury, CT.

Redwood City, CA $4,197
Waterbury, CT $5,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,241 in Redwood City, CA versus $6,866 in Waterbury, CT.

Redwood City, CA $6,241
Waterbury, CT $6,866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,286 in Redwood City, CA versus $8,584 in Waterbury, CT.

Redwood City, CA $8,286
Waterbury, CT $8,584

Living in Redwood City, CA costs roughly 18% less than in Waterbury, CT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Redwood City, CA 211% above, Waterbury, CT 281% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$26.89 $26.89

-6.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 $110

$95.1 $95.1

15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 $13.44

$8.78 $8.78

53.08%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$5.10 $5.10

10.59%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$4.05 $4.05

-20.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.89 $2.89

-8.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$8.28 $8.28

-0.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 $8.87

$8.84 $8.84

0.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.37 $1.37

11.68%

White Bread (500g)

$5.37 $5.37

$4.64 $4.64

15.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$7.54 $7.54

-35.54%

Eggs

$7.74 $7.74

$6.07 $6.07

27.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$19.18 $19.18

-21.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$17.68 $17.68

-39.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$19.00 $19.00

3.21%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$6.70 $6.70

-6.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.16 $2.16

31.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$6.17 $6.17

-27.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$6.77 $6.77

-8.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$4.07 $4.07

-26.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$4.62 $4.62

-21.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.81 $2.81

-1.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.61 $2.61

0.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$19.25 $19.25

-38.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 $20.28

$14.98 $14.98

35.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.16 $3.16

-16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.87 $3.87

-11.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.78 $1.78

168.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 $61.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.25 $4.25

$3.03 $3.03

40.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.21 $2.21

-45.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.38 $38.38

$42.72 $42.72

-10.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$0.99 $0.99

58.59%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$35.3K $35.3K

6.10%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$25.6K $25.6K

3.61%

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

$237 $237

$218 $218

8.88%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$73.6 $73.6

-27.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$70.5 $70.5

-1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$239 $239

$52.4 $52.4

355.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.93 $29.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.91 $17.91

$22.30 $22.30

-19.69%

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

$2,907 $2,907

$1,278 $1,278

127.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.0K $43.0K

$59.7K $59.7K

-27.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 $45.86

$40.09 $40.09

14.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.04 $25.04

$45.59 $45.59

-45.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$80.6 $80.6

22.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$131 $131

-12.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,248 $4,248

$1,827 $1,827

132.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 $2,521

$3,543 $3,543

-28.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,692 $5,692

$2,651 $2,651

114.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,469 $4,469

$4,977 $4,977

-10.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,008 $8,008

$3,501 $3,501

128.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.73

1.34%

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

Last update for Redwood City, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Waterbury, CT: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Redwood City, CA

$2.5K 60.1%

Waterbury, CT

$3.5K 68.8% 40.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Redwood City, CA

$493 11.8%

Waterbury, CT

$540 10.5% 9.5% $47

Eating Out

Redwood City, CA

$390 9.3%

Waterbury, CT

$390 7.6% 0.2% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Redwood City, CA

$360 8.6%

Waterbury, CT

$362 7% 0.4% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Redwood City, CA

$275 6.6%

Waterbury, CT

$97 1.9% 64.7% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Redwood City, CA

$128 3%

Waterbury, CT

$134 2.6% 4.7% $6

Getting Around

Redwood City, CA

$29 * 0.7%

Waterbury, CT

$83 1.6% 182% $54

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 $4,248 in Redwood City, CA and $1,827 in Waterbury, CT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Redwood City, CA pays 129% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $110 in Redwood City, CA vs $95.0 in Waterbury, CT. Groceries flip the comparison at $493 vs $540, with Redwood City, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 Waterbury, CT

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

01:42 1:42 AM

3 h ahead of Redwood City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,314

110,366

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Redwood City, CA Waterbury, CT 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Redwood City, CA
Waterbury, CT

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

Redwood City, CA vs Waterbury, CT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Redwood City, CA and Waterbury, CT differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($4,197 vs $5,148 including rent). Redwood City, CA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 129% higher in Redwood City, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $4,248 in Redwood City, CA versus $1,827 in Waterbury, CT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,907 in Redwood City, CA versus $1,278 in Waterbury, CT. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Redwood City, CA – a meal for two runs $110 versus $95.0 in Waterbury, CT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $5,000. Redwood City, CA 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.

Expats usually find Redwood City, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Waterbury, CT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.