Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clara, CA and Boston, MA Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clara, CA and Boston, MA

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Clara, CA is 7.3% cheaper than Boston, MA without rent, and 4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Clara, CA is 14.7% cheaper than Boston, MA without rent, and 1.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.91 $24.91

$25.26 $25.26

-1.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 $108

$126 $126

-13.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.94 $13.94

$11.15 $11.15

25.02%

Cappuccino

$5.8 $5.8

$5.47 $5.47

6.03%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.93 $2.93

10.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.5 $2.5

$2.41 $2.41

3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 $9.13

$8.02 $8.02

13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 $8.96

$8.75 $8.75

2.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.3 $1.3

14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$4.79 $4.79

$4.21 $4.21

13.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$6.3 $6.3

-49.84%

Eggs

$5.35 $5.35

$4.59 $4.59

16.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.03 $21.03

$16.78 $16.78

25.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.77 $14.77

$13.5 $13.5

9.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.98 $22.98

$20.48 $20.48

12.21%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$5.84 $5.84

3.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.09 $2.09

40.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$6.44 $6.44

-22.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$7.93 $7.93

-15.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$4.47 $4.47

-19.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.75 $3.75

3.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.72 $2.72

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.5 $2.5

14.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 $11.46

$13.41 $13.41

-14.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.2 $12.2

$17.04 $17.04

-28.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.82 $2.82

-18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.2 $3.2

$5.67 $5.67

-43.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.46 $2.46

22.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 $71.1

$88.6 $88.6

-19.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.64 $2.64

54.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.77 $1.77

4.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.66 $29.66

$28.43 $28.43

4.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$0.95 $0.95

40.00%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$30.6K $30.6K

-2.98%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$25.2K $25.2K

5.54%

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

$217 $217

$196 $196

10.77%

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

$49.29 $49.29

$58.3 $58.3

-15.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$76.7 $76.7

-11.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 $101

$80 $80

26.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.67 $12.67

$31.59 $31.59

-59.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.11 $17.11

$15.32 $15.32

11.68%

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

$1,944 $1,944

$2,826 $2,826

-31.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K $26.3K

$27.7K $27.7K

-5.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 $56.7

$66.7 $66.7

-14.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.72 $44.72

$44.12 $44.12

1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87 $87

$102 $102

-14.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$148 $148

-7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,942 $2,942

$3,462 $3,462

-15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,409 $2,409

$2,625 $2,625

-8.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,339 $4,339

$6,097 $6,097

-28.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,250 $4,250

$4,025 $4,025

5.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,044 $9,044

$8,979 $8,979

0.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,864 $8,864

$5,857 $5,857

51.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,296 $8,296

$6,098 $6,098

36.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.43

1.24%

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

Last update for Santa Clara, CA: November 30, 2025

Last update for Boston, MA: November 30, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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