Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Hampshire vs. California Cost of Living Summary
New Hampshire is 10.9% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
- pay 8.6% less in New Hampshire
- Groceries
- pay 6.5% less in New Hampshire
- Transportation
- pay 14.1% less in New Hampshire
- Housing
- pay 17.6% less in New Hampshire
- Childcare
- pay 12.9% less in New Hampshire
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 11.8% less in New Hampshire
- Clothing
- pay 4.7% less in New Hampshire
New Hampshire vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Hampshire instead of California, you would:
pay 8.6% less for restaurants
California | New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $21.84 | $22.08 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.33 | $11.38 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.79 | $2.39 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.17 | $1.89 | |
California vs. New Hampshire - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.5% less for groceries
California | New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.20 | $3.49 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.77 | $6.89 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.73 | $3.90 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.14 | $4.21 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.05 | $5.63 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.30 | $2.13 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.92 | $0.79 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.91 | $2.42 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.38 | $2.30 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.50 | $1.21 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.41 | $1.47 | |
California vs. New Hampshire - Cost of groceries
pay 14.1% less for transportation
California | New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.72 | $3.21 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $63.04 | $52.80 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $30,529.84 | $34,178.60 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $21.43 | $17.04 | |
California vs. New Hampshire - Cost of transportation
pay 17.6% less for housing
California | New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $67.96 | $67.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,385.40 | $1,783.33 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,043.56 | $1,553.61 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $171.94 | $165.57 | |
California vs. New Hampshire - Cost of housing
pay 12.9% less for childcare
California | New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,633.13 | $1,754.94 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $30,339.97 | $20,200.00 | |
California vs. New Hampshire - Cost of childcare
pay 11.8% less for entertainment and sports
California | New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.31 | $6.08 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.58 | $4.54 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.92 | $11.75 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $68.02 | $54.99 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.99 | $13.21 | |
California vs. New Hampshire - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.7% less for clothing
California | New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $56.47 | $44.18 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $40.47 | $42.02 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.50 | $86.11 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $119.94 | $121.14 | |
California vs. New Hampshire - Cost of clothing
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 2026
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