Cost of living comparison
compared to
Mesa vs. San Mateo Cost of Living Summary
Mesa is 15.9% cheaper than San Mateo.
Mesa vs. San Mateo Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Mesa instead of San Mateo, you would:
pay 7.7% less for restaurants
San Mateo | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $22.00 | $20.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $13.00 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.12 | $2.80 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.34 | $2.25 | |
San Mateo vs. Mesa - Cost of restaurants
pay 26.7% less for groceries
San Mateo | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $5.11 | $4.20 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.44 | $6.23 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.00 | $3.40 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $8.00 | $4.69 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $9.67 | $5.93 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $3.00 | $2.08 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.90 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.75 | $1.75 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $3.33 | $2.63 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $2.70 | $1.42 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $2.00 | $1.30 | |
San Mateo vs. Mesa - Cost of groceries
pay 20.1% less for transportation
San Mateo | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.76 | $3.46 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.60 | $45.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,753.89 | $36,113.30 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? | $13.94 | |
San Mateo vs. Mesa - Cost of transportation
pay 13.9% less for housing
San Mateo | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $63.00 | $83.95 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,743.33 | $1,734.25 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,855.00 | $1,353.67 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $194.97 | $196.17 | |
San Mateo vs. Mesa - Cost of housing
pay 60.5% less for childcare
San Mateo | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $2,823.00 | $1,200.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $42,750.00 | $15,605.00 | |
San Mateo vs. Mesa - Cost of childcare
pay 12.8% less for entertainment and sports
San Mateo | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $6.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.20 | $6.04 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $8.50 | $9.22 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $95.00 | $42.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $15.99 | $13.00 | |
San Mateo vs. Mesa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.2% more for clothing
San Mateo | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $60.00 | $47.22 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $25.00 | $41.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $101.67 | $91.72 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $60.00 | $112.79 | |
San Mateo vs. Mesa - 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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