Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. San Marcos Cost of Living Summary
United States is 12.8% more expensive than San Marcos.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.0% less in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 28.0% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 11.2% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 6.5% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 47.9% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.3% less in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 2.0% less in United States
The cost of childcare, groceries, transportation, and housing in United States are more expensive than in San Marcos. Expenses including clothing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in United States.
United States vs. San Marcos Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of San Marcos, you would:
pay 1.0% less for restaurants
|
San Marcos
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.00
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.76
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.23
|
$2.00
|
|
San Marcos vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 28.0% more for groceries
|
San Marcos
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.23
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.91
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.44
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.83
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.88
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.54
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.38
|
|
San Marcos vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 11.2% more for transportation
|
San Marcos
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.80
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,278.39
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.39
|
$17.61
|
|
San Marcos vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 6.5% more for housing
|
San Marcos
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.76
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,340.00
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,400.00
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$145.65
|
$150.19
|
|
San Marcos vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 47.9% more for childcare
|
San Marcos
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$670.00
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,120.00
|
$23,196.46
|
|
San Marcos vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 1.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Marcos
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.00
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$69.00
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$13.64
|
|
San Marcos vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.0% less for clothing
|
San Marcos
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.57
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.00
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.95
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$116.43
|
$112.04
|
|
San Marcos vs. United States - 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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