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 30.7% more expensive than El Cerrito, CA without rent, and 24.9% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 15.4% cheaper than El Cerrito, CA without rent, and 14% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.67 $22.67

$20.61 $20.61

10.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$98.9 $98.9

-18.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.29 $12.29

$14.95 $14.95

-17.79%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$5.96 $5.96

-0.34%

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

$3.34 $3.34

$3.30 $3.30

1.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.38 $2.38

6.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$7.91 $7.91

-11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 $7.45

$7.96 $7.96

-6.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.53 $1.53

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$5.17 $5.17

$4.85 $4.85

6.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.20 $3.20

112.81%

Eggs

$5.94 $5.94

$5.00 $5.00

18.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.83 $23.83

$23.59 $23.59

1.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$15.45 $15.45

-4.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.70 $23.70

$24.07 $24.07

-1.54%

Apples (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$7.28 $7.28

-0.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.46 $2.46

14.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$5.16 $5.16

3.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$6.68 $6.68

9.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.83 $3.83

-2.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.99 $3.99

-2.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.93 $2.93

-1.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.76 $2.76

0.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 $14.11

$11.37 $11.37

24.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.97 $27.97

$14.72 $14.72

90.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.36 $2.36

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.29 $3.29

-13.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.45 $3.45

-40.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 $65.3

$83.5 $83.5

-21.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.58 $3.58

13.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.91 $38.91

$30.09 $30.09

29.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.33 $1.33

-1.50%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$30.4K $30.4K

16.10%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

2.65%

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

$222 $222

$295 $295

-24.96%

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

$47.02 $47.02

$55.4 $55.4

-15.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$69.1 $69.1

-2.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 $59.4

$43.16 $43.16

37.63%

Cinema Ticket

$17.22 $17.22

$15.39 $15.39

11.89%

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

$3,211 $3,211

$2,227 $2,227

44.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.4K $38.4K

$26.3K $26.3K

45.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 $63.7

$52.2 $52.2

22.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.07 $46.07

$44.62 $44.62

3.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$88.5 $88.5

-9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$137 $137

-16.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 $2,895

$1,905 $1,905

51.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,674 $2,674

$1,752 $1,752

52.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,516 $5,516

$3,268 $3,268

68.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,288 $4,288

$3,006 $3,006

42.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,202 $8,202

$2,647 $2,647

209.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.0K $11.0K

$2,448 $2,448

350.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,539 $5,539

$6,296 $6,296

-12.03%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for El Cerrito, CA: April 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santa Cruz, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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