Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterbury, CT and Redwood City, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Redwood City, CA: $4,232 a month against $5,098 in Waterbury, CT, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waterbury, CT outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

247

Cost of Living Index in Waterbury, CT
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Waterbury, CT Living Index
201

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

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Waterbury, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$5,098

/mo nomad

Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Waterbury, CT 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 Waterbury, CT and in Redwood City, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,098 in Waterbury, CT versus $4,232 in Redwood City, CA.

Waterbury, CT $5,098
Redwood City, CA $4,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,890 in Waterbury, CT versus $6,270 in Redwood City, CA.

Waterbury, CT $6,890
Redwood City, CA $6,270

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,683 in Waterbury, CT versus $8,308 in Redwood City, CA.

Waterbury, CT $8,683
Redwood City, CA $8,308

Living in Waterbury, CT is roughly 20% more expensive than in Redwood City, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waterbury, CT 275% above, Redwood City, CA 211% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.49 $28.49

$25.33 $25.33

12.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.0 $95.0

$109 $109

-12.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$13.23 $13.23

-30.16%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$5.75 $5.75

-12.35%

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

$3.99 $3.99

$3.22 $3.22

23.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.72 $2.72

9.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$7.77 $7.77

1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.19 $9.19

$8.87 $8.87

3.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.52 $1.52

-9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$5.26 $5.26

-2.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$4.96 $4.96

53.83%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$7.75 $7.75

-20.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$15.29 $15.29

25.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.69 $17.69

$10.87 $10.87

62.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.08 $19.08

$19.70 $19.70

-3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$6.11 $6.11

11.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.66 $2.66

-10.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$4.52 $4.52

43.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$6.27 $6.27

10.85%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.94 $2.94

43.54%

Onion (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.69 $3.69

27.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.80 $2.80

2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.71 $2.71

-1.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.23 $19.23

$11.80 $11.80

62.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.20 $15.20

$19.74 $19.74

-23.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.70 $2.70

22.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.52 $3.52

16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$4.82 $4.82

-63.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 $63.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$4.04 $4.04

-27.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.25 $1.25

69.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.23 $41.23

$38.49 $38.49

7.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.49 $1.49

-36.91%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$27.6K $27.6K

26.90%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.9K $26.9K

-2.25%

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

$217 $217

$245 $245

-11.13%

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

$74.5 $74.5

$53.5 $53.5

39.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$68.8 $68.8

1.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 $52.2

$238 $238

-78.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.57 $30.57

Cinema Ticket

$21.97 $21.97

$18.07 $18.07

21.58%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$2,902 $2,902

-54.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.7K $60.7K

$41.8K $41.8K

44.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.50 $40.50

$45.60 $45.60

-11.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$24.58 $24.58

86.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 $78.7

$98.5 $98.5

-20.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$113 $113

25.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 $1,834

$4,166 $4,166

-55.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,464 $3,464

$2,549 $2,549

35.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 $2,563

$5,663 $5,663

-54.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,009 $5,009

$4,488 $4,488

11.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,490 $3,490

$7,721 $7,721

-54.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.73

6.82

-1.32%

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

Last update for Waterbury, CT: October 26, 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

Waterbury, CT

$3.5K 67.9%

Redwood City, CA

$2.5K 60.2% 26.4% $915

Groceries & Markets

Waterbury, CT

$553 10.9%

Redwood City, CA

$494 11.7% 10.7% $59

Eating Out

Waterbury, CT

$402 7.9%

Redwood City, CA

$392 9.3% 2.5% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterbury, CT

$362 7.1%

Redwood City, CA

$367 8.7% 1.4% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Waterbury, CT

$138 2.7%

Redwood City, CA

$127 3% 8.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Waterbury, CT

$96 1.9%

Redwood City, CA

$274 6.5% 185% $178

Getting Around

Waterbury, CT

$84 1.6%

Redwood City, CA

$30 * 0.7% 64.7% $54

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 $1,834 in Waterbury, CT and $4,166 in Redwood City, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Redwood City, CA pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $95 in Waterbury, CT vs $109 in Redwood City, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $553 vs $494, with Redwood City, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waterbury, CT

🇺🇸 Redwood City, CA

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

3 h behind Waterbury, CT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,366

88,314

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waterbury, CT Redwood City, CA 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Waterbury, CT
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

Waterbury, CT vs Redwood City, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $5,098 in Waterbury, CT and $4,232 in Redwood City, CA, so Redwood City, CA is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Waterbury, CT. 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: $1,834 in Waterbury, CT versus $4,166 in Redwood City, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,324 in Waterbury, CT 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 Waterbury, CT – 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.

At $4,232 in Redwood City, CA versus $5,098 in Waterbury, CT, a $5,000 budget is realistic in Redwood City, CA but tight or insufficient in Waterbury, CT. The gap between the two cities makes Redwood City, CA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.