Cost of living comparison
Virginia is 5.2% cheaper than California.
If you lived in Virginia instead of California, you would:
pay 5.1% less for restaurants
|
California
|
Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.02
|
$20.49
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.52
|
$11.13
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.71
|
$2.48
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
|
$2.04
|
|
pay 3.5% less for groceries
|
California
|
Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.14
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.95
|
$6.98
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
|
$3.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.33
|
$3.41
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.70
|
$5.54
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$2.62
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.41
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
|
$1.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.41
|
|
pay 2.2% less for transportation
|
California
|
Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
|
$3.36
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.05
|
$79.15
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,005.28
|
$32,788.87
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.07
|
$16.99
|
|
pay 15.9% less for housing
|
California
|
Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.54
|
$69.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,371.29
|
$1,832.03
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,055.18
|
$1,500.84
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.68
|
$145.31
|
|
pay 5.4% less for childcare
|
California
|
Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,682.51
|
$1,614.20
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,905.75
|
$28,849.72
|
|
pay 9.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$6.17
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.34
|
$5.19
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.91
|
$9.03
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.35
|
$58.19
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
|
$14.24
|
|
pay 5.0% more for clothing
|
California
|
Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.77
|
$53.05
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.15
|
$41.36
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.15
|
$92.16
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.31
|
$126.91
|
|
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