Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Mateo vs. Mesa Cost of Living Summary
San Mateo is 40.9% more expensive than Mesa.
San Mateo vs. Mesa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Mateo instead of Mesa, you would:
pay 8.4% more for restaurants
Mesa | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $22.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $13.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.80 | $3.12 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.25 | $2.34 | |
Mesa vs. San Mateo - Cost of restaurants
pay 42.6% more for groceries
Mesa | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.20 | $5.11 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.23 | $7.44 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.40 | $6.00 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.69 | $8.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.93 | $9.67 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.08 | $3.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.87 | $0.90 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.75 | $1.75 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.63 | $3.33 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.42 | $2.70 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.30 | $2.00 | |
Mesa vs. San Mateo - Cost of groceries
pay 28.3% more for transportation
Mesa | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.46 | $4.76 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $45.00 | $65.60 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,113.30 | $36,753.89 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $13.94 | ?? | |
Mesa vs. San Mateo - Cost of transportation
pay 35.9% more for housing
Mesa | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $83.95 | $63.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,734.25 | $2,743.33 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,353.67 | $2,855.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $196.17 | $194.97 | |
Mesa vs. San Mateo - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
Mesa | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,200.00 | $2,823.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,605.00 | $42,750.00 | |
Mesa vs. San Mateo - Cost of childcare
pay 28.8% more for entertainment and sports
Mesa | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.00 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $6.04 | $5.20 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.22 | $8.50 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $42.00 | $95.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.00 | $15.99 | |
Mesa vs. San Mateo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.0% less for clothing
Mesa | San Mateo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $47.22 | $60.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.00 | $25.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $91.72 | $101.67 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.79 | $60.00 | |
Mesa 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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