Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Mateo vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
San Mateo is 40.8% more expensive than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.1% more in San Mateo
- Groceries
-
pay 72.9% more in San Mateo
- Transportation
-
pay 4.1% less in San Mateo
- Housing
-
pay 66.6% more in San Mateo
- Childcare
-
pay 2.4 times more in San Mateo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.3% more in San Mateo
- Clothing
-
pay 27.9% less in San Mateo
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in San Mateo are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in San Mateo. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Mateo.
San Mateo vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Mateo instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 23.1% more for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$25.00
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$15.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.96
|
$3.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.42
|
$2.34
|
|
Canberra vs. San Mateo - Cost of restaurants
pay 72.9% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.14
|
$5.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.63
|
$7.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.41
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.60
|
$8.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.38
|
$9.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.26
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.06
|
$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.04
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.84
|
$3.33
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.55
|
$2.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.59
|
$2.00
|
|
Canberra vs. San Mateo - Cost of groceries
pay 4.1% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.75
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$188.01
|
$65.60
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$44,425.70
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.95
|
?? | |
Canberra vs. San Mateo - Cost of transportation
pay 66.6% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$79.50
|
$63.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,377.92
|
$2,743.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,775.11
|
$2,855.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$243.28
|
$194.97
|
|
Canberra vs. San Mateo - Cost of housing
pay 2.4 times more for childcare
|
Canberra
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,683.50
|
$2,823.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,381.24
|
$42,750.00
|
|
Canberra vs. San Mateo - Cost of childcare
pay 14.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$10.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.21
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$47.50
|
$8.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$89.79
|
$95.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$20.00
|
$15.99
|
|
Canberra vs. San Mateo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.9% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$106.16
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$88.34
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$143.88
|
$101.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$181.12
|
$60.00
|
|
Canberra vs. San Mateo - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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