Cost of living comparison
compared to
Redwood City vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Redwood City is 46.0% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 34.6% more in Redwood City
- Groceries
-
pay 36.9% more in Redwood City
- Transportation
-
pay 11.3% more in Redwood City
- Housing
-
pay 61.9% more in Redwood City
- Childcare
-
pay 92.3% more in Redwood City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 89.2% more in Redwood City
- Clothing
-
pay 4.2% less in Redwood City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, restaurants, and transportation in Redwood City are more expensive than in United States. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Redwood City.
Redwood City vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Redwood City instead of United States, you would:
pay 34.6% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.50
|
|
United States vs. Redwood City - Cost of restaurants
pay 36.9% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$8.45
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$8.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.81
|
|
United States vs. Redwood City - Cost of groceries
pay 11.3% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$74.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$14.09
|
|
United States vs. Redwood City - Cost of transportation
pay 61.9% more for housing
|
United States
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$4,250.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$2,500.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$174.09
|
|
United States vs. Redwood City - Cost of housing
pay 92.3% more for childcare
|
United States
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$2,823.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$42,000.00
|
|
United States vs. Redwood City - Cost of childcare
pay 89.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.79
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$10.45
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$240.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$17.00
|
|
United States vs. Redwood City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.2% less for clothing
|
United States
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$95.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$116.67
|
|
United States vs. Redwood 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: December 2025
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