COMPARE COST OF LIVING

Ventura County, CASan Mateo County, CA

Equivalent salary in San Mateo County, CA
$65,570
+31.14% higher
Current salary: $50,000
Household: 1 adult · 0 children
Median Income in Ventura County, CA: $122,868
Median Income in San Mateo County, CA: $184,583
Living Index in Ventura County, CA 54.26
Living Index in San Mateo County, CA 47.37

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Ventura County, CA to San Mateo County, CA.

* Living index is estimated from (estimated total cost / median_income of area) * 100.A living index above 100% means costs exceed median income.

Cost of Living Breakdown by Category

Summary/TLDR:

Moving from Ventura County, CA to San Mateo County, CA can actually lead to higher overall expenses. You would end up spending an estimated 31.14% ($20,762) more per year. Unless your move comes with a significant salary jump, this new location will feel much tighter in day-to-day spending. Moving can lead to some savings in Transport According to the Economic Policy Institute’s 2025 Family Budget data, Ventura County, CA's Transport costs are 1.22% higher ($14,207 vs. $14,034), driving a large part of the cost difference. Movers could potentially save $173 in annual expenses. Housing, Food, Healthcare, Other Costs and Taxes costs for San Mateo County, CA , however, rise slightly.

Since Transport is one of the biggest drivers of living costs, this gap alone can noticeably change how the move feels month to month. If you drive a lot or have multiple vehicles, this category can quickly add up in your day-to-day costs.

Below we break down the key differences driving this gap.

What changed the most?

The following numbers represent which categories have the highest and lowest cost increase when moving to San Mateo County, CA.

Biggest Increase
Highest new COST when moving to San Mateo County, CA
Average Cost:

$20,700 per year

HOUSING costs are highest in San Mateo County, CA.

Smallest Increase
Highest money SAVE when moving to San Mateo County, CA
Average Cost:

$14,034 per year

TRANSPORT costs are lowest in San Mateo County, CA.

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

CategoryDifference
Housing47.86% higher
Food15.13% higher
Transport-1.22% lower
Healthcare10.80% higher
Other Costs41.97% higher
Taxes49.17% higher

In your new location your total average costs would be $87429.00 compared to your previous average costs of $66667.00.

The higher price could be attributed to different factors. For example, larger differences, the delta could be attributed to the fact that a city is a metropolitan location.

In this case San Mateo County, CA and Ventura County, CA are both metropolitan locations.

Use our map to visually compare multiple counties at once.

;

Related Searches for Ventura County, CA

Ventura County, CA vs. San Mateo County, CA Cost Of Living (2026) | Calculator