Cost of living comparison
California is 8.2% more expensive than New York.
If you lived in California instead of New York, you would:
pay 13.1% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.04
|
$21.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.50
|
$11.52
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.37
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.83
|
$2.16
|
|
pay 3.0% more for groceries
|
New York
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.74
|
$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.35
|
$6.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.05
|
$4.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.87
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.18
|
$5.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.80
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$1.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.49
|
$1.44
|
|
pay 0.4% less for transportation
|
New York
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.60
|
$4.83
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.65
|
$62.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,535.81
|
$30,005.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.98
|
$20.07
|
|
pay 19.9% more for housing
|
New York
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.86
|
$68.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,925.71
|
$2,371.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,646.33
|
$2,055.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$138.03
|
$171.68
|
|
pay 18.9% more for childcare
|
New York
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,553.18
|
$1,682.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,861.84
|
$30,905.75
|
|
pay 0.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.09
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.84
|
$5.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.68
|
$10.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.42
|
$66.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.22
|
$14.41
|
|
pay 2.2% more for clothing
|
New York
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.08
|
$52.77
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.74
|
$40.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$82.58
|
$85.15
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.43
|
$117.31
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about California or New York. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.