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 0.7% more expensive than El Cerrito, CA without rent, and 25.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 0.8% more expensive than El Cerrito, CA without rent, and 16.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.44 $22.44

$20.28 $20.28

10.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$100 $100

-20.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 $12.36

$15.09 $15.09

-18.09%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$5.81 $5.81

0.69%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$3.23 $3.23

5.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.36 $2.36

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$7.82 $7.82

-11.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 $7.46

$8.18 $8.18

-8.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.45 $1.45

-1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$5.16 $5.16

$5.01 $5.01

2.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$3.31 $3.31

100.91%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$5.02 $5.02

18.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.24 $23.24

$23.76 $23.76

-2.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.85 $14.85

$15.23 $15.23

-2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.7 $23.7

$24.3 $24.3

-2.47%

Apples (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$7.06 $7.06

-0.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.44 $2.44

13.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$5.3 $5.3

0.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$6.8 $6.8

10.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.72 $3.72

4.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.86 $3.86

1.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.9 $2.9

$2.82 $2.82

2.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.83 $2.83

1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.45 $11.45

23.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$13.8 $13.8

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.33 $2.33

-7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.33 $3.33

-19.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.55 $3.55

-42.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 $65.2

$81.6 $81.6

-20.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.55 $3.55

15.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.89 $1.89

2.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.9 $38.9

$29.78 $29.78

30.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.33 $1.33

-6.77%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$29.8K $29.8K

17.31%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.3K $26.3K

0.56%

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

$221 $221

$288 $288

-23.39%

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

$47.05 $47.05

$54.3 $54.3

-13.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$68.1 $68.1

-0.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 $60.2

$43.41 $43.41

38.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.04 $17.04

$15.66 $15.66

8.81%

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

$3,225 $3,225

$2,212 $2,212

45.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K $38.5K

$25.9K $25.9K

48.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$53.6 $53.6

17.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$44.21 $44.21

5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$89.1 $89.1

-11.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$135 $135

-14.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,893 $2,893

$1,878 $1,878

54.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,648 $2,648

$1,754 $1,754

50.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,700 $5,700

$3,236 $3,236

76.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,219 $4,219

$3,056 $3,056

38.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,235 $9,235

$2,921 $2,921

216.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,116 $8,116

$2,188 $2,188

270.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,594 $5,594

$6,464 $6,464

-13.46%

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: October 27, 2025

Last update for El Cerrito, CA: October 29, 2025

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