Cost of Living Comparison Between San Mateo, CA and San Diego, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between San Mateo, CA and San Diego, CA

😐 Solo nomad: San Mateo, CA is 10.9% more expensive than San Diego, CA without rent, and 13.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: San Mateo, CA is 12.9% cheaper than San Diego, CA without rent, and 17.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.31 $20.31

$23.33 $23.33

-12.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 $63.9

$100 $100

-36.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 $11.70

$14.83 $14.83

-21.11%

Cappuccino

$5.08 $5.08

$5.84 $5.84

-13.01%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$2.97 $2.97

9.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.60 $2.60

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.06 $7.06

$8.09 $8.09

-12.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$9.02 $9.02

9.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.22 $1.22

21.31%

White Bread (500g)

$5.04 $5.04

$4.49 $4.49

12.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$4.35 $4.35

-24.83%

Eggs

$5.04 $5.04

$5.29 $5.29

-4.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 $14.84

$13.72 $13.72

8.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.34 $15.34

$12.58 $12.58

21.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.02 $22.02

$18.75 $18.75

17.44%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$4.58 $4.58

35.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.66 $1.66

29.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.88 $3.88

27.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.79 $4.79

42.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.92 $2.92

17.81%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.48 $2.48

76.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.20 $2.20

26.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.48 $2.48

10.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.30 $11.30

$11.96 $11.96

-5.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.62 $14.62

$15.16 $15.16

-3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.75 $1.75

-1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.46 $2.46

40.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.49 $2.49

79.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.6 $66.6

$71.6 $71.6

-7.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.09 $3.09

10.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.99 $1.99

-3.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.54 $29.54

$28.44 $28.44

3.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.24 $1.24

0.81%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$30.7K $30.7K

-4.08%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$27.3K $27.3K

-5.91%

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

$254 $254

$273 $273

-6.99%

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

$48.21 $48.21

$69.0 $69.0

-30.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 $63.1

$78.6 $78.6

-19.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.3 $94.3

$67.1 $67.1

40.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.53 $24.53

Cinema Ticket

$15.31 $15.31

$15.99 $15.99

-4.25%

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

$1,958 $1,958

$1,616 $1,616

21.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K $26.2K

$28.5K $28.5K

-8.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 $52.4

$58.4 $58.4

-10.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.06 $30.06

$58.4 $58.4

-48.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 $87.4

$99.3 $99.3

-11.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$116 $116

8.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 $2,690

$2,812 $2,812

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,890 $2,890

$2,356 $2,356

22.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,862 $5,862

$4,894 $4,894

19.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,530 $5,530

$4,099 $4,099

34.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K $13.9K

$8,662 $8,662

61.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,888 $8,888

$6,713 $6,713

32.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,372 $7,372

$5,594 $5,594

31.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

6.39

-1.10%

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

Last update for San Mateo, CA: March 1, 2026

Last update for San Diego, CA: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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