Cost of living comparison
compared to
East Lansing vs. Ajax Cost of Living Summary
East Lansing is 3.1% cheaper than Ajax.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.4% more in East Lansing
- Groceries
-
pay 21.8% more in East Lansing
- Transportation
-
pay 12.4% less in East Lansing
- Housing
-
pay 13.1% less in East Lansing
- Childcare
-
pay 30.9% less in East Lansing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 17.4% more in East Lansing
- Clothing
-
pay 6.9% less in East Lansing
East Lansing vs. Ajax Cost Breakdown
If you lived in East Lansing instead of Ajax, you would:
pay 9.4% more for restaurants
|
Ajax
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.53
CA$24.51
|
$16.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.52
CA$14.70
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.75
CA$2.45
|
$2.51
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.52
CA$2.12
|
$2.17
|
|
Ajax vs. East Lansing - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.8% more for groceries
|
Ajax
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.86
CA$4.00
|
$2.95
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.58
CA$6.40
|
$5.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.34
CA$10.25
|
$3.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
CA$4.27
|
$2.79
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.16
CA$7.21
|
$7.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.83
CA$2.56
|
$2.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
CA$1.06
|
$0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.89
CA$2.64
|
$3.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.49
CA$2.09
|
$1.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.32
CA$1.85
|
$2.60
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.87
CA$1.21
|
$2.54
|
|
Ajax vs. East Lansing - Cost of groceries
pay 12.4% less for transportation
|
Ajax
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.24
CA$5.93
|
$3.74
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$85.92
CA$120.08
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,760.48
CA$38,799.43
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$34.85
|
|
Ajax vs. East Lansing - Cost of transportation
pay 13.1% less for housing
|
Ajax
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.51
CA$80.38
|
$63.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,507.96
CA$2,107.60
|
$1,207.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,367.68
CA$1,911.54
|
$1,045.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$95.92
CA$134.07
|
$134.29
|
|
Ajax vs. East Lansing - Cost of housing
pay 30.9% less for childcare
|
Ajax
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$876.72
CA$1,225.35
|
$648.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$17,271.39
CA$24,139.36
|
$11,136.00
|
|
Ajax vs. East Lansing - Cost of childcare
pay 17.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ajax
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.51
CA$4.90
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.61
CA$5.04
|
$5.40
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.03
CA$19.61
|
$9.52
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$33.32
CA$46.56
|
$36.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.99
CA$13.96
|
$11.00
|
|
Ajax vs. East Lansing - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.9% less for clothing
|
Ajax
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.27
CA$70.25
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.20
CA$51.99
|
$37.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.17
CA$117.63
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.66
CA$144.89
|
$85.00
|
|
Ajax vs. East Lansing - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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