Cost of living comparison

 California, USA
compared to
 Hawaii, USA
Hawaii vs. California Cost of Living Summary

Hawaii is 11.5% more expensive than California.

Restaurants
pay 16.8% more in Hawaii
Groceries
pay 59.9% more in Hawaii
Transportation
pay 15.0% more in Hawaii
Housing
pay 2.1% more in Hawaii
Childcare
pay 13.4% less in Hawaii
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.5% more in Hawaii
Clothing
pay 4.2% less in Hawaii

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

Hawaii vs. California Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Hawaii instead of California, you would:

pay 16.8% more for restaurants

 
California
Hawaii
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $21.02
 
$28.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.52
 
$12.92
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.71
 
$2.98
 

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pay 59.9% more for groceries

 
California
Hawaii
Bread
1 loaf
$4.14
 
$6.91
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.95
 
$9.61
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.61
 
$7.22
 

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pay 15.0% more for transportation

 
California
Hawaii
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.83
 
$4.84
 
Monthly public transit pass $62.05
 
$90.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $30,005.28
 
$34,845.32
 

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pay 2.1% more for housing

 
California
Hawaii
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$68.54
 
$61.66
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,371.29
 
$2,230.04
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,055.18
 
$1,990.71
 

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pay 13.4% less for childcare

 
California
Hawaii
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,682.51
 
$1,466.67
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $30,905.75
 
$26,600.00
 

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pay 4.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
California
Hawaii
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.00
 
$7.10
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.34
 
$7.09
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$10.91
 
$12.25
 

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pay 4.2% less for clothing

 
California
Hawaii
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$52.77
 
$51.74
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.15
 
$32.83
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$85.15
 
$88.29
 

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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: March 2025
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