Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Rafael vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
San Rafael is 25.8% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.6% more in San Rafael
- Groceries
-
pay 26.7% more in San Rafael
- Transportation
-
pay 8.1% less in San Rafael
- Housing
-
pay 53.0% more in San Rafael
- Childcare
-
pay 44.2% more in San Rafael
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 50.1% more in San Rafael
- Clothing
-
pay 0.1% less in San Rafael
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, childcare, groceries, and restaurants in San Rafael are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in San Rafael.
San Rafael vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Rafael instead of United States, you would:
pay 14.6% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
San Rafael
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$10.95
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$3.00
|
|
United States vs. San Rafael - Cost of restaurants
pay 26.7% more for groceries
|
United States
|
San Rafael
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$4.04
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$7.66
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.59
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$5.87
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.21
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.30
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$3.88
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.75
|
|
United States vs. San Rafael - Cost of groceries
pay 8.1% less for transportation
|
United States
|
San Rafael
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$30,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
?? | |
United States vs. San Rafael - Cost of transportation
pay 53.0% more for housing
|
United States
|
San Rafael
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$78.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$3,366.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$2,833.33
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$144.15
|
|
United States vs. San Rafael - Cost of housing
pay 44.2% more for childcare
|
United States
|
San Rafael
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$2,000.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
?? | |
United States vs. San Rafael - Cost of childcare
pay 50.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
San Rafael
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$4.62
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$157.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$14.50
|
|
United States vs. San Rafael - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.1% less for clothing
|
United States
|
San Rafael
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$38.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$102.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$123.00
|
|
United States vs. San Rafael - 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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