Cost of living comparison
California is 93.2% more expensive than Finland overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.9% more in California
- Groceries
-
pay 68.4% more in California
- Transportation
-
pay 7.6% less in California
- Housing
-
pay 2.9 times more in California
- Childcare
-
pay 4.7 times more in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 15.6% more in California
- Clothing
-
pay 2.7% more in California
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in California are more expensive than in Finland. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in California.
If you lived in California instead of Finland, you would:
pay 19.9% more for restaurants
|
Finland
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.18
€12.47
|
$21.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.44
€9.18
|
$11.52
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.58
€2.27
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
€1.64
|
$2.16
|
|
pay 68.4% more for groceries
|
Finland
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.29
€2.01
|
$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.70
€3.25
|
$6.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.27
€3.76
|
$4.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.02
€2.65
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.38
€4.73
|
$5.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
€0.87
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.72
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.98
€0.86
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
€1.47
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
€0.50
|
$1.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.75
€0.66
|
$1.44
|
|
pay 7.6% less for transportation
|
Finland
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.64
€6.72
|
$4.83
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.52
€53.21
|
$62.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,800.37
€27,962.74
|
$30,005.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.35
€16.14
|
$20.07
|
|
pay 2.9 times more for housing
|
Finland
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$22.24
€19.56
|
$68.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$734.49
€645.85
|
$2,371.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$604.75
€531.77
|
$2,055.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$96.90
€85.21
|
$171.68
|
|
pay 4.7 times more for childcare
|
Finland
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$291.42
€256.25
|
$1,682.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,693.67
€7,644.53
|
$30,905.75
|
|
pay 15.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Finland
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.29
€6.41
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.21
€3.70
|
$5.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.54
€9.27
|
$10.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.73
€36.69
|
$66.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.60
€13.71
|
$14.41
|
|
pay 2.7% more for clothing
|
Finland
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.15
€66.08
|
$52.77
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.18
€27.42
|
$40.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$82.09
€72.18
|
$85.15
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$108.56
€95.46
|
$117.31
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about California or Finland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.