Cost of living comparison
California is 11.0% cheaper than Washington.
If you lived in California instead of Washington, you would:
pay 6.2% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$21.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.52
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.78
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.22
|
$2.16
|
|
pay 6.0% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.34
|
$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$6.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.14
|
$4.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.91
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.73
|
$5.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.85
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.46
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.59
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
|
$1.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.61
|
$1.44
|
|
pay 4.3% less for transportation
|
Washington
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.66
|
$4.83
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$62.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$30,005.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$23.88
|
$20.07
|
|
pay 3.3% more for housing
|
Washington
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.46
|
$68.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,582.95
|
$2,371.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,028.70
|
$2,055.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.65
|
$171.68
|
|
pay 22.6% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,273.25
|
$1,682.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$38,250.00
|
$30,905.75
|
|
pay 15.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.55
|
$5.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.75
|
$10.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$106.36
|
$66.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.18
|
$14.41
|
|
pay 25.8% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$74.13
|
$52.77
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.77
|
$40.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.47
|
$85.15
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$178.48
|
$117.31
|
|
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