Cost of living comparison

 Arlington (VA), United States
compared to
 Alexandria (VA), United States
Alexandria vs. Arlington Cost of Living Summary

Alexandria is 11.5% cheaper than Arlington.

Restaurants
pay 14.1% more in Alexandria
Groceries
pay 11.8% less in Alexandria
Transportation
pay 12.4% less in Alexandria
Childcare
pay 36.0% less in Alexandria
Entertainment and Sports
pay 23.4% less in Alexandria
Clothing
pay 0.3% more in Alexandria

The cost of restaurants and clothing in Alexandria are more expensive than in Arlington. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, groceries, and housing are lower in Alexandria.

Alexandria vs. Arlington Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Alexandria instead of Arlington, you would:

pay 14.1% more for restaurants

 
Arlington
Alexandria
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.00
 
$27.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.75
 
$13.50
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.78
 
$2.67
 

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pay 11.8% less for groceries

 
Arlington
Alexandria
Bread
1 loaf
$4.08
 
$2.85
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.81
 
$8.27
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.36
 
$3.50
 

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pay 12.4% less for transportation

 
Arlington
Alexandria
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.66
 
$3.38
 
Monthly public transit pass $68.75
 
$57.50
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,699.74
 
$30,981.99
 

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pay (unknown) more for housing

 
Arlington
Alexandria
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$64.00
 
$70.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,566.67
 
$2,450.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,025.00
 
$2,012.50
 

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pay 36.0% less for childcare

 
Arlington
Alexandria
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,070.83
 
$1,500.00
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $43,200.00
 
$24,000.00
 

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pay 23.4% less for entertainment and sports

 
Arlington
Alexandria
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.75
 
$5.75
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.55
 
$4.99
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.00
 
$8.00
 

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pay 0.3% more for clothing

 
Arlington
Alexandria
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$61.78
 
$36.67
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.50
 
$40.00
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$87.50
 
$111.67
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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