Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, CA and El Cerrito, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, CA and El Cerrito, CA

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, CA is 2.6% cheaper than El Cerrito, CA without rent, and 26% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 13.5% more expensive than El Cerrito, CA without rent, and 14% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 $22.77

$20.32 $20.32

12.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$102 $102

-21.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 $12.36

$14.91 $14.91

-17.10%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$5.69 $5.69

5.10%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$3.25 $3.25

-0.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.37 $2.37

8.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$8.16 $8.16

-12.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 $7.47

$7.88 $7.88

-5.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.45 $1.45

-1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.95 $4.95

$5.04 $5.04

-1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.22 $3.22

113.66%

Eggs

$6.18 $6.18

$4.78 $4.78

29.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.84 $23.84

$23.72 $23.72

0.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 $14.73

$15.34 $15.34

-3.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.71 $23.71

$23.67 $23.67

0.17%

Apples (1kg)

$7.01 $7.01

$7.29 $7.29

-3.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.48 $2.48

16.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$5.38 $5.38

-1.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$6.71 $6.71

13.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.92 $3.92

-1.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$4.00 $4.00

-4.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.82 $2.82

2.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.86 $2.86

-3.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 $13.81

$11.18 $11.18

23.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$30.56 $30.56

$15.15 $15.15

101.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.34 $2.34

-10.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.20 $3.20

-15.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.44 $3.44

-43.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.8 $64.8

$81.7 $81.7

-20.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.57 $3.57

15.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.86 $1.86

1.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.48 $38.48

$29.40 $29.40

30.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.29 $1.29

-2.33%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$29.7K $29.7K

18.86%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$25.5K $25.5K

0.66%

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

$218 $218

$298 $298

-26.90%

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

$47.68 $47.68

$55.2 $55.2

-13.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$68.5 $68.5

-1.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.5 $59.5

$43.50 $43.50

36.76%

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 $17.18

$15.22 $15.22

12.88%

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

$3,217 $3,217

$2,217 $2,217

45.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.0K $38.0K

$26.3K $26.3K

44.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 $64.1

$54.1 $54.1

18.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.47 $46.47

$43.73 $43.73

6.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$86.4 $86.4

-8.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$135 $135

-14.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,933 $2,933

$1,930 $1,930

51.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 $2,600

$1,711 $1,711

51.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,642 $5,642

$3,264 $3,264

72.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,175 $4,175

$3,021 $3,021

38.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,981 $7,981

$2,374 $2,374

236.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.0K $11.0K

$2,650 $2,650

315.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,545 $5,545

$6,401 $6,401

-13.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: January 12, 2026

Last update for El Cerrito, CA: January 12, 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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