Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerville, MA and Redwood City, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerville, MA: $4,027 a month against $4,232 in Redwood City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in Somerville, MA
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Somerville, MA Living Index
201

Cost of Living Index in Redwood City, CA
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Redwood City, CA Living Index

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Somerville, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,027

/mo nomad

Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somerville, MA and in Redwood City, CA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Somerville, MA and in Redwood City, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,027 in Somerville, MA versus $4,232 in Redwood City, CA.

Somerville, MA $4,027
Redwood City, CA $4,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,485 in Somerville, MA versus $6,270 in Redwood City, CA.

Somerville, MA $5,485
Redwood City, CA $6,270

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,943 in Somerville, MA versus $8,308 in Redwood City, CA.

Somerville, MA $6,943
Redwood City, CA $8,308

Living in Somerville, MA costs roughly 5% less than in Redwood City, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Somerville, MA 196% above, Redwood City, CA 211% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.09 $25.09

$25.33 $25.33

-0.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.6 $94.6

$109 $109

-13.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.42 $13.42

$13.23 $13.23

1.44%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$5.75 $5.75

-6.78%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$3.22 $3.22

-7.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.72 $2.72

-18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 $8.12

$7.77 $7.77

4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.74 $8.74

$8.87 $8.87

-1.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.52 $1.52

-30.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$5.26 $5.26

-22.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$4.96 $4.96

11.09%

Eggs

$4.75 $4.75

$7.75 $7.75

-38.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 $15.55

$15.29 $15.29

1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$10.87 $10.87

31.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$19.70 $19.70

-8.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.86 $6.86

$6.11 $6.11

12.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.66 $2.66

-21.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$4.52 $4.52

23.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$6.27 $6.27

7.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.94 $2.94

-26.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.69 $3.69

-42.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.80 $2.80

4.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.71 $2.71

10.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 $13.40

$11.80 $11.80

13.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.64 $15.64

$19.74 $19.74

-20.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.70 $2.70

-22.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.52 $3.52

16.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$4.82 $4.82

-48.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 $90.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$4.04 $4.04

-34.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.25 $1.25

39.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.45 $27.45

$38.49 $38.49

-28.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.49 $1.49

-30.20%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$27.6K $27.6K

7.24%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.9K $26.9K

-0.81%

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

$239 $239

$245 $245

-2.17%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$53.5 $53.5

42.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.2 $76.2

$68.8 $68.8

10.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$118 $118

$238 $238

-50.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.57 $30.57

Cinema Ticket

$15.71 $15.71

$18.07 $18.07

-13.06%

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

$1,841 $1,841

$2,902 $2,902

-36.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$41.8K $41.8K

-26.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.22 $48.22

$45.60 $45.60

5.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 $38.42

$24.58 $24.58

56.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$98.5 $98.5

4.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$113 $113

34.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,198 $3,198

$4,166 $4,166

-23.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 $2,362

$2,549 $2,549

-7.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,247 $6,247

$5,663 $5,663

10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,271 $3,271

$4,488 $4,488

-27.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,711 $9,711

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,624 $6,624

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,470 $5,470

$7,721 $7,721

-29.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

6.82

-2.64%

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

Last update for Somerville, MA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Redwood City, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Somerville, MA

$2.4K 58.7%

Redwood City, CA

$2.5K 60.2% 7.9% $187

Groceries & Markets

Somerville, MA

$475 11.8%

Redwood City, CA

$494 11.7% 3.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerville, MA

$391 9.7%

Redwood City, CA

$367 8.7% 6.3% $25

Eating Out

Somerville, MA

$384 9.5%

Redwood City, CA

$392 9.3% 1.9% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Somerville, MA

$153 3.8%

Redwood City, CA

$127 3% 17.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Somerville, MA

$149 3.7%

Redwood City, CA

$274 6.5% 83.6% $125

Getting Around

Somerville, MA

$111 2.8%

Redwood City, CA

$30 * 0.7% 73.4% $82

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,198 in Somerville, MA and $4,166 in Redwood City, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Redwood City, CA pays 41% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $95 in Somerville, MA vs $109 in Redwood City, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $494 per month, with Somerville, MA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Somerville, MA

🇺🇸 Redwood City, CA

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

3 h behind Somerville, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,754

88,314

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Somerville, MA Redwood City, CA 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerville, MA
Redwood City, CA

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Somerville, MA vs Redwood City, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,027 in Somerville, MA and $4,232 in Redwood City, CA, so Somerville, MA is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Somerville, MA. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,198 in Somerville, MA versus $4,166 in Redwood City, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,841 in Somerville, MA versus $2,902 in Redwood City, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Somerville, MA – a meal for two runs $95 versus $109 in Redwood City, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $5,000 a month, though Somerville, MA gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Somerville, MA wins on affordability, Redwood City, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.