Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. Arizona Cost of Living Summary
California is 25.4% more expensive than Arizona.
California vs. Arizona Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of Arizona, you would:
pay 6.8% more for restaurants
Arizona | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $19.82 | $21.84 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.05 | $12.33 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.68 | $2.79 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.15 | $2.17 | |
Arizona vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.7% more for groceries
Arizona | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.52 | $4.20 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.84 | $6.77 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.34 | $4.73 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.27 | $5.14 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.12 | $6.05 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.99 | $2.30 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.75 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.67 | $1.91 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.84 | $2.38 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.17 | $1.50 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.23 | $1.41 | |
Arizona vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 21.8% more for transportation
Arizona | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.43 | $4.72 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $59.83 | $63.04 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $33,224.50 | $30,529.84 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $14.05 | $21.43 | |
Arizona vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 16.8% more for housing
Arizona | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $78.92 | $67.96 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,669.06 | $2,385.40 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,430.94 | $2,043.56 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $179.76 | $171.94 | |
Arizona vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 76.9% more for childcare
Arizona | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,065.66 | $1,633.13 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,135.91 | $30,339.97 | |
Arizona vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 26.4% more for entertainment and sports
Arizona | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.02 | $7.31 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.42 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.62 | $10.92 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $38.87 | $68.02 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $12.59 | $14.99 | |
Arizona vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.3% more for clothing
Arizona | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $47.09 | $56.47 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $40.16 | $40.47 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $85.67 | $87.50 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.80 | $119.94 | |
Arizona vs. California - Cost of clothing
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: June 2026
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