Cost of Living in Santa Monica, 🇺🇸 United States - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Jun 8, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $3,500 $3,000 $5,000 $2,200 $250

Utilities — $150 $200 $120 —

Internet & Mobile $350 $100 $130 $80 —

Groceries $150 $500 $1,000 $400 —

Transportation $100 $100 $300 $70 $30

Dining Out $1,200 $300 $400 $200 $100

Leisure Activities $300 $200 $500 $100 $50

Health Insurance $80 $400 $1,000 $250 —

Visa & Legal Fees — $200 $300 — —

Total $5,680 $4,950 $8,830 $3,420 $430

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $2,800.00 per month

Coworking Space $250.00 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $2,500.00 per month

Coliving Space $1,600.00 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $5.50 per cup

Beer $7.50 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $17.00 per meal

Fast Food Combo $11.00 per meal

Apples $2.99 per kg

Bread $4.50 per loaf

Milk $4.29 per liter

Rice $1.80 per kg

Chicken Fillets $7.50 per kg

Beef $9.00 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $14.00 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $75.00 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $2.00 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $3.50 per trip

Taxi per km $2.50 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $70.00 per month

Ride-hailing (5km) $13.00 per trip

Scooter Rental $35.00 per month

Gasoline $4.60 per liter

Services

Mobile Plan $55.00 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $70.00 per month

Gym Membership $65.00 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $25.00 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $35.00 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $16.00 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $70.00 per pair

Summer Dress $55.00 per dress

Running Shoes $110.00 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $55.00 per visit

Laundry $7.00 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $120.00 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $15.00 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Jun 8, 2026
Generated by: deepseek-v4-flash · cost run 44
Last changed: None yet

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Santa Monica cost of living