Cost of living comparison
compared to
Princeton vs. San Mateo Cost of Living Summary
Princeton is 11.7% more expensive than San Mateo.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.7% less in Princeton
- Groceries
-
pay 3.4% less in Princeton
- Transportation
-
pay 53.2% more in Princeton
- Housing
-
pay 22.6% less in Princeton
- Childcare
-
pay 20.3% less in Princeton
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 29.8% more in Princeton
- Clothing
-
pay 57.1% more in Princeton
The cost of clothing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Princeton are more expensive than in San Mateo. Expenses including housing, childcare, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Princeton.
Princeton vs. San Mateo Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Princeton instead of San Mateo, you would:
pay 11.7% less for restaurants
|
San Mateo
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.00
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$12.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.12
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.34
|
$2.33
|
|
San Mateo vs. Princeton - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.4% less for groceries
|
San Mateo
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.11
|
$4.04
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.44
|
$12.86
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.00
|
$4.15
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$8.00
|
$4.23
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$9.67
|
$11.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$1.15
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$2.42
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.33
|
$2.75
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$1.24
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.67
|
|
San Mateo vs. Princeton - Cost of groceries
pay 53.2% more for transportation
|
San Mateo
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$3.17
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.60
|
$199.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$32,955.62
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$25.46
|
|
San Mateo vs. Princeton - Cost of transportation
pay 22.6% less for housing
|
San Mateo
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.00
|
$51.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,743.33
|
$2,700.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,855.00
|
$1,925.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$194.97
|
$122.52
|
|
San Mateo vs. Princeton - Cost of housing
pay 20.3% less for childcare
|
San Mateo
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,823.00
|
$1,858.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,750.00
|
$40,000.00
|
|
San Mateo vs. Princeton - Cost of childcare
pay 29.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Mateo
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.50
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$95.00
|
$172.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.99
|
$15.00
|
|
San Mateo vs. Princeton - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 57.1% more for clothing
|
San Mateo
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.00
|
$32.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$25.00
|
$24.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.67
|
$142.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$60.00
|
$202.50
|
|
San Mateo vs. Princeton - 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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