Cost of living comparison
California is 6.5% more expensive than Virginia.
If you lived in California instead of Virginia, you would:
pay 8.3% more for restaurants
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.24
|
$19.89
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.37
|
$11.74
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.43
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
|
$2.23
|
|
pay 9.2% more for groceries
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.43
|
$4.10
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.47
|
$6.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$4.57
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
|
$4.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.78
|
$5.53
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.95
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$1.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.49
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.45
|
|
pay 3.6% more for transportation
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$4.84
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$88.00
|
$67.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,777.13
|
$29,950.13
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.76
|
$20.46
|
|
pay 21.4% more for housing
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.15
|
$69.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,920.58
|
$2,333.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,520.70
|
$2,022.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$137.54
|
$178.08
|
|
pay 1.4% less for childcare
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,523.77
|
$1,629.83
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$32,979.32
|
$29,739.09
|
|
pay 9.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.25
|
$7.06
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.91
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.31
|
$10.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.65
|
$68.71
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.14
|
$14.08
|
|
pay 5.5% less for clothing
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.68
|
$52.63
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.24
|
$41.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.33
|
$84.49
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$127.98
|
$115.90
|
|
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