Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. San Mateo Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 26.0% more expensive than San Mateo.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.0% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 1.4% less in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 24.3% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 5.0% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 22.8% more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 46.1% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 76.9% more in New York City
New York City vs. San Mateo Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of San Mateo, you would:
pay 8.0% more for restaurants
|
San Mateo
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.12
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.34
|
$2.61
|
|
San Mateo vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.4% less for groceries
|
San Mateo
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.11
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.44
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.00
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$8.00
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$9.67
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.33
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.78
|
|
San Mateo vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 24.3% more for transportation
|
San Mateo
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.60
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$22.39
|
|
San Mateo vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 5.0% more for housing
|
San Mateo
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.00
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,743.33
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,855.00
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$194.97
|
$151.98
|
|
San Mateo vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 22.8% more for childcare
|
San Mateo
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,823.00
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,750.00
|
$57,250.00
|
|
San Mateo vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 46.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Mateo
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.50
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$95.00
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.99
|
$20.00
|
|
San Mateo vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 76.9% more for clothing
|
San Mateo
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.00
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$25.00
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.67
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$60.00
|
$168.76
|
|
San Mateo vs. New York City - 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: October 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: San Mateo vs. New York City
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New York City or San Mateo. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.