Cost of living comparison
compared to
Alexandria vs. Arlington Cost of Living Summary
Alexandria is 9.6% cheaper than Arlington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.6% less in Alexandria
- Groceries
-
pay 4.9% more in Alexandria
- Transportation
-
pay 9.0% less in Alexandria
- Housing
-
pay 3.9% more in Alexandria
- Childcare
-
pay 33.6% less in Alexandria
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.4% less in Alexandria
- Clothing
-
pay 8.7% less in Alexandria
The cost of groceries and housing in Alexandria are more expensive than in Arlington. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing are lower in Alexandria.
Alexandria vs. Arlington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Alexandria instead of Arlington, you would:
pay 14.6% less for restaurants
|
Arlington
|
Alexandria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.97
|
$2.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.82
|
$2.21
|
|
Arlington vs. Alexandria - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.9% more for groceries
|
Arlington
|
Alexandria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.23
|
$3.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$10.87
|
$6.72
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.39
|
$3.88
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.34
|
$5.46
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.74
|
$6.49
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.79
|
$3.13
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.87
|
$0.93
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$3.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.45
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
|
$2.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.73
|
$1.67
|
|
Arlington vs. Alexandria - Cost of groceries
pay 9.0% less for transportation
|
Arlington
|
Alexandria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.17
|
$3.09
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$100.00
|
$80.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,521.50
|
$28,250.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$12.79
|
$13.38
|
|
Arlington vs. Alexandria - Cost of transportation
pay 3.9% more for housing
|
Arlington
|
Alexandria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.89
|
$67.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,433.33
|
$2,362.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,900.00
|
$1,912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$121.02
|
$140.62
|
|
Arlington vs. Alexandria - Cost of housing
pay 33.6% less for childcare
|
Arlington
|
Alexandria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,923.33
|
$1,275.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$36,066.67
|
$24,000.00
|
|
Arlington vs. Alexandria - Cost of childcare
pay 10.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Arlington
|
Alexandria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.79
|
$5.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$64.80
|
$72.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.50
|
$15.00
|
|
Arlington vs. Alexandria - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.7% less for clothing
|
Arlington
|
Alexandria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.22
|
$47.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.90
|
$48.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.40
|
$86.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$114.56
|
$115.00
|
|
Arlington vs. Alexandria - 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: December 2025
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