Cost of living comparison
California is 15.1% more expensive than United States.
If you lived in California instead of United States, you would:
pay 12.2% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.02
|
$19.89
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.37
|
$11.74
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
|
$2.23
|
|
pay 10.6% more for groceries
|
United States
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.43
|
$4.10
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.30
|
$6.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.93
|
$4.57
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
|
$4.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.12
|
$5.53
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.95
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.03
|
$1.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$2.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$1.49
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.45
|
|
pay 11.6% more for transportation
|
United States
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.61
|
$4.84
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.73
|
$67.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,580.82
|
$29,950.13
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.71
|
$20.46
|
|
pay 27.6% more for housing
|
United States
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.34
|
$69.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,635.84
|
$2,333.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,397.18
|
$2,022.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$148.42
|
$178.08
|
|
pay 25.2% more for childcare
|
United States
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,344.29
|
$1,629.83
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,001.10
|
$29,739.09
|
|
pay 17.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.73
|
$7.06
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.97
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.54
|
$10.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.32
|
$68.71
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.21
|
$14.08
|
|
pay 1.7% more for clothing
|
United States
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.12
|
$52.63
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.92
|
$41.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.55
|
$84.49
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$113.11
|
$115.90
|
|
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