Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Marcos vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
San Marcos is 6.3% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.7% more in San Marcos
- Groceries
-
pay 19.6% less in San Marcos
- Transportation
-
pay 8.1% less in San Marcos
- Housing
-
pay 5.2% less in San Marcos
- Childcare
-
pay 19.6% less in San Marcos
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.2% more in San Marcos
- Clothing
-
pay 2.8% more in San Marcos
The cost of entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants in San Marcos are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including groceries, childcare, transportation, and housing are lower in San Marcos.
San Marcos vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Marcos instead of United States, you would:
pay 1.7% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$19.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.23
|
|
United States vs. San Marcos - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.6% less for groceries
|
United States
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.23
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$4.91
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.83
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.05
|
|
United States vs. San Marcos - Cost of groceries
pay 8.1% less for transportation
|
United States
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$2.80
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$14.39
|
|
United States vs. San Marcos - Cost of transportation
pay 5.2% less for housing
|
United States
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$70.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,340.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,400.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$145.65
|
|
United States vs. San Marcos - Cost of housing
pay 19.6% less for childcare
|
United States
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$670.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$26,120.00
|
|
United States vs. San Marcos - Cost of childcare
pay 4.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$69.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$15.00
|
|
United States vs. San Marcos - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.8% more for clothing
|
United States
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$45.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$44.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$98.95
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$116.43
|
|
United States vs. San Marcos - 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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