San Mateo, California Cost Of Living

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Overall 104%

Goods & Services 23%

Housing 281%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	San Mateo	California	National
Cost of living	204	140	100
Goods & Services	123	109	100
Groceries	130	112	100
Health care	123	109	100
Housing	381	196	100
Transportation	143	132	100
Utilities	134	127	100

Key findings

The cost of living in San Mateo is 46% higher than the California average
The cost of living in San Mateo is 104% higher than the national average
San Mateo housing is 281% higher than the national average
California general sales tax is 42% higher than the national average
California state income tax is 59% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$121,663	$10,139	$2,839	$3,650
Renters	$74,626	$6,219	$1,741	$2,239

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in San Mateo, CA, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In San Mateo, homeowners have a median income of $121,663. Using that number, a maximum of $2,839 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $74,626, which means there is a maximum of $1,741 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

California Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
California	7.25%	10.5%

California Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
California	1%	13.3%

Goods & Services

Item	San Mateo	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$23.94	$20.27	18.1%
Beauty Salon	$76.38	$40.39	89.1%
Toothpaste	$2.93	$2.36	24.1%
Shampoo	$1.32	$1.08	22.6%
Movie	$16.04	$10.99	46.0%
Bowling	$20.50	$15.49	32.3%

Groceries

Item	San Mateo	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.38	$4.30	1.8%
Fried Chicken	$1.80	$1.40	28.9%
Milk	$2.55	$2.20	15.9%
Potatoes	$3.74	$3.22	16.3%
Pizza	$12.49	$10.74	16.3%
Beer	$10.21	$9.60	6.4%

Health Care

Item	San Mateo	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$136.56	$109.73	24.5%
Doctor	$148.50	$118.34	25.5%
Dentist	$133.23	$100.94	32.0%
Ibuprofen	$12.21	$9.93	23.0%
Lipitor	$479.93	$469.53	2.2%

Housing

Item	San Mateo	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$850,200.00	$184,700.00	360.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$4,448.29	$1,229.62	261.8%
Apartment Rent	$1,871.00	$949.00	97.2%

Transportation

Item	San Mateo	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$4.03	$2.71	48.5%
Tire Balancing	$69.34	$51.86	33.7%

Utilities

Item	San Mateo	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$266.44	$170.84	56.0%
Phone	$196.49	$187.18	5.0%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Mountain View CDP, CA	2,585	136	36.3%
Ashland, CA	24,288	138	37.8%
Cherryland, CA	15,066	138	38.4%
Hayward, CA	154,507	147	47.4%
San Leandro, CA	89,039	149	49.0%
San Mateo, CA	102,224	204	104.3%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Sandy Springs, GA	102,212	130	30.1%
Clovis, CA	102,148	119	19.0%
Davenport, IA	102,305	90	10.2%
Lewisville, TX	102,327	103	2.9%
Rialto, CA	102,418	114	14.2%
San Mateo, CA	102,224	204	104.3%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.