Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Mateo vs. Long Island Cost of Living Summary
San Mateo is 29.8% more expensive than Long Island.
San Mateo vs. Long Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Mateo instead of Long Island, you would:
pay 31.1% more for restaurants
Long Island | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $18.00 | $22.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $13.00 | $13.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.28 | $3.12 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.74 | $2.34 | |
Long Island vs. San Mateo - Cost of restaurants
pay 29.6% more for groceries
Long Island | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.05 | $5.11 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $8.73 | $7.44 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.62 | $6.00 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.17 | $8.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.62 | $9.67 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.87 | $3.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.07 | $0.90 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.16 | $1.75 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.37 | $3.33 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.25 | $2.70 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.51 | $2.00 | |
Long Island vs. San Mateo - Cost of groceries
pay 16.0% more for transportation
Long Island | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.30 | $4.76 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $129.50 | $65.60 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $24,000.00 | $36,753.89 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $19.40 | ?? | |
Long Island vs. San Mateo - Cost of transportation
pay 35.8% more for housing
Long Island | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $57.25 | $63.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,325.00 | $2,743.33 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,250.00 | $2,855.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $103.54 | $194.97 | |
Long Island vs. San Mateo - Cost of housing
pay 53.0% more for childcare
Long Island | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $2,250.00 | $2,823.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $23,666.67 | $42,750.00 | |
Long Island vs. San Mateo - Cost of childcare
pay 38.5% more for entertainment and sports
Long Island | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.75 | $5.20 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.98 | $8.50 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $34.00 | $95.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $17.00 | $15.99 | |
Long Island vs. San Mateo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.6% more for clothing
Long Island | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $30.00 | $60.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $63.33 | $25.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $76.33 | $101.67 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $131.67 | $60.00 | |
Long Island 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: June 2026
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