Cost of living comparison

compared to

San Mateo vs. Whitby Cost of Living Summary

San Mateo is 55.9% more expensive than Whitby.

Restaurants
pay 52.3% more in San Mateo
Groceries
pay 39.3% more in San Mateo
Transportation
pay 35.6% more in San Mateo
Housing
pay 79.5% more in San Mateo
Childcare
pay 2.2 times more in San Mateo
Entertainment and Sports
pay 71.4% more in San Mateo
Clothing
pay 3.5% more in San Mateo

The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and transportation in San Mateo are more expensive than in Whitby. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in San Mateo.

San Mateo vs. Whitby Cost Breakdown

If you lived in San Mateo instead of Whitby, you would:

pay 52.3% more for restaurants

 
Whitby
San Mateo
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $14.03
CA$19.61
$20.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.42
CA$11.76
$13.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.98
CA$2.77
$3.02
 

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pay 39.3% more for groceries

 
Whitby
San Mateo
Bread
1 loaf
$2.79
CA$3.91
$5.88
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.58
CA$6.40
$6.80
 
Milk (1 gallon) $9.76
CA$13.64
$6.12
 

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pay 35.6% more for transportation

 
Whitby
San Mateo
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.24
CA$5.92
$5.75
 
Monthly public transit pass $84.17
CA$117.63
$96.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $27,760.48
CA$38,799.43
$36,753.89
 

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pay 79.5% more for housing

 
Whitby
San Mateo
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$52.60
CA$73.52
$61.24
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,753.44
CA$2,450.70
$3,458.33
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,648.23
CA$2,303.65
$2,743.00
 

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pay 2.2 times more for childcare

 
Whitby
San Mateo
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,028.69
CA$1,437.74
$3,000.00
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $17,271.39
CA$24,139.36
$29,000.00
 

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pay 71.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Whitby
San Mateo
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.61
CA$7.84
$8.25
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.45
CA$4.82
$5.66
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$14.03
CA$19.61
$11.71
 

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pay 3.5% more for clothing

 
Whitby
San Mateo
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$56.11
CA$78.42
$63.17
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$55.64
CA$77.77
$46.63
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$103.45
CA$144.59
$118.50
 

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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