Cost of living comparison

 United States
compared to
 Berkeley (CA), United States
Berkeley vs. United States Cost of Living Summary

Berkeley is 26.1% more expensive than United States overall.

Restaurants
pay 13.2% more in Berkeley
Groceries
pay 34.5% more in Berkeley
Transportation
pay 7.7% more in Berkeley
Housing
pay 43.6% more in Berkeley
Childcare
pay 52.2% more in Berkeley
Entertainment and Sports
pay 24.3% more in Berkeley
Clothing
pay 7.2% more in Berkeley

The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and transportation in Berkeley are more expensive than in United States.

Berkeley vs. United States Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Berkeley instead of United States, you would:

pay 13.2% more for restaurants

 
United States
Berkeley
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.59
 
$20.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.47
 
$11.50
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.50
 
$3.00
 

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pay 34.5% more for groceries

 
United States
Berkeley
Bread
1 loaf
$3.49
 
$4.70
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.33
 
$9.55
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.91
 
$5.98
 

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pay 7.7% more for transportation

 
United States
Berkeley
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.61
 
$4.85
 
Monthly public transit pass $65.15
 
$50.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,583.67
 
$36,753.89
 

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pay 43.6% more for housing

 
United States
Berkeley
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$67.50
 
$67.50
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,655.99
 
$2,431.43
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,423.40
 
$2,180.00
 

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pay 52.2% more for childcare

 
United States
Berkeley
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,351.84
 
$2,158.33
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $22,265.44
 
$32,215.00
 

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pay 24.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
United States
Berkeley
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.78
 
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.04
 
$5.67
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.68
 
$12.00
 

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pay 7.2% more for clothing

 
United States
Berkeley
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$50.38
 
$61.43
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.66
 
$36.12
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$85.52
 
$85.00
 

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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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