Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, CA and Boston, MA Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, CA and Boston, MA

🙂 Solo nomad: San Rafael, CA is 2.6% cheaper than Boston, MA without rent, and 8.2% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: San Rafael, CA is 7.9% cheaper than Boston, MA without rent, and 13.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 $22.34

$25.26 $25.26

-11.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 $65.9

$126 $126

-47.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11 $11

$11.15 $11.15

-1.35%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$5.47 $5.47

0.18%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.93 $2.93

-6.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.41 $2.41

1.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$8.02 $8.02

-23.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 $9.54

$8.75 $8.75

9.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.3 $1.3

-0.77%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.21 $4.21

-1.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$6.3 $6.3

9.21%

Eggs

$4.66 $4.66

$4.59 $4.59

1.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$16.78 $16.78

-9.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$13.5 $13.5

-5.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.24 $18.24

$20.48 $20.48

-10.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$5.84 $5.84

-18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.09 $2.09

33.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$6.44 $6.44

-6.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.58 $8.58

$7.93 $7.93

8.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.47 $4.47

-13.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.75 $3.75

5.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.72 $2.72

-8.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.5 $2.5

18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.09 $11.09

$13.41 $13.41

-17.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 $12.68

$17.04 $17.04

-25.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.82 $2.82

-25.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$5.67 $5.67

-41.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.46 $2.46

-38.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.21 $30.21

$88.6 $88.6

-65.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.64 $2.64

29.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.77 $1.77

-6.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.66 $29.66

$28.43 $28.43

4.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.95 $0.95

31.58%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$30.6K $30.6K

-10.42%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$25.2K $25.2K

7.01%

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

$184 $184

$196 $196

-6.42%

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

$51.8 $51.8

$58.3 $58.3

-11.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 $59.9

$76.7 $76.7

-21.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$249 $249

$80 $80

210.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.61 $39.61

$31.59 $31.59

25.39%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 $14.73

$15.32 $15.32

-3.85%

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

$1,975 $1,975

$2,826 $2,826

-30.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$27.7K $27.7K

-15.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.59 $40.59

$66.7 $66.7

-39.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.96 $37.96

$44.12 $44.12

-13.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$102 $102

-0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$148 $148

-17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,432 $3,432

$3,462 $3,462

-0.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,801 $2,801

$2,625 $2,625

6.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,979 $3,979

$6,097 $6,097

-34.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,275 $3,275

$4,025 $4,025

-18.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,553 $7,553

$8,979 $8,979

-15.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,354 $5,354

$5,857 $5,857

-8.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,260 $5,260

$6,098 $6,098

-13.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

6.43

-1.71%

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

Last update for San Rafael, CA: November 30, 2025

Last update for Boston, MA: November 30, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

St Thomas

🇻🇮 Us Virgin Islands

San Mateo, CA

🇺🇸 United States