Cost of living in San Mateo, California
Simple answer
Typical rent is $3,077 a month.
San Mateo is a city in California. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $153,504 a year.
- People
- 103,105
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $3,077
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $153,504
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $1,618,700
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $3,697
- San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
San Mateo, California has about 103,105 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $1,618,700.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in San Mateo County is $3,697 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in San Mateo. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, prices sit at 115.6 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
California taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not San Mateo's exact store tax.
In July 2026, a typical California home paid 33.61¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not San Mateo's bill.
In 2025, all-grades gas in California averaged $4.53 a gallon. EIA prints this yearly price for only some states.
Among 982 places we list in California with a rent figure, 84 have higher typical rent than San Mateo.
Nearby places
- Hillsborough
Typical rent $3,501
Compare with San Mateo - Baywood Park
Typical rent $3,501
Compare with San Mateo - Foster City
Typical rent $3,501
Compare with San Mateo - Belmont
Typical rent $2,875
Compare with San Mateo - Highlands
Typical rent $3,501
Compare with San Mateo - Burlingame
Typical rent $2,785
Compare with San Mateo - San Carlos
Typical rent $2,854
- Millbrae
Typical rent $3,272
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in California
Bigger places in California
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.