Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Jose vs. Long Beach Cost of Living Summary
San Jose is 28.0% more expensive than Long Beach.
San Jose vs. Long Beach Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Jose instead of Long Beach, you would:
pay 1.5% less for restaurants
Long Beach | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $20.50 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $15.00 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.40 | $3.42 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.20 | $2.44 | |
Long Beach vs. San Jose - Cost of restaurants
pay 35.3% more for groceries
Long Beach | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.76 | $5.00 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.10 | $11.39 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.28 | $5.64 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.81 | $5.40 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $7.35 | $6.98 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.37 | $2.95 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.77 | $1.18 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.36 | $2.62 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.56 | $3.01 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.51 | $1.94 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.32 | $2.19 | |
Long Beach vs. San Jose - Cost of groceries
pay 3.0% more for transportation
Long Beach | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.80 | $4.84 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $69.00 | $90.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $26,999.00 | $36,753.89 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $41.42 | $18.41 | |
Long Beach vs. San Jose - Cost of transportation
pay 41.4% more for housing
Long Beach | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $57.25 | $70.13 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,258.33 | $2,916.67 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,080.00 | $2,700.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $120.42 | $221.60 | |
Long Beach vs. San Jose - Cost of housing
pay 55.5% more for childcare
Long Beach | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,666.67 | $1,866.67 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $20,000.00 | $39,800.00 | |
Long Beach vs. San Jose - Cost of childcare
pay 44.9% more for entertainment and sports
Long Beach | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.50 | $9.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.71 | $5.83 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.00 | $11.50 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $39.00 | $113.89 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $15.10 | $16.00 | |
Long Beach vs. San Jose - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.1% more for clothing
Long Beach | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $49.00 | $56.50 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $32.00 | $46.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $102.33 | $88.89 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $102.25 | $125.00 | |
Long Beach vs. San Jose - 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: June 2026
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