Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Belfast Cost of Living Summary
United States is 15.0% more expensive than Belfast.
- Restaurants
- pay 1.1% more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 35.4% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 28.2% less in United States
- Housing
- pay 46.2% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 72.8% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 10.7% less in United States
- Clothing
- pay 11.9% less in United States
United States vs. Belfast Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Belfast, you would:
pay 1.1% more for restaurants
Belfast | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.05 £15.18 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.02 £7.59 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.58 £1.95 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.06 £1.56 | $2.00 | |
Belfast vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 35.4% more for groceries
Belfast | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.89 £1.43 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.96 £3.76 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.78 £5.14 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.62 £2.74 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.47 £3.39 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.52 £1.15 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.94 £0.71 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.54 £1.16 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.62 £1.23 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.92 £0.70 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.64 £0.48 | $1.38 | |
Belfast vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 28.2% less for transportation
Belfast | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.11 £5.39 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $84.19 £63.78 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $37,798.76 £28,633.24 | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $23.33 £17.67 | $17.61 | |
Belfast vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 46.2% more for housing
Belfast | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $41.38 £31.35 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,199.07 £908.32 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $923.57 £699.62 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $119.30 £90.37 | $150.19 | |
Belfast vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 72.8% more for childcare
Belfast | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,216.08 £921.20 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $10,022.65 £7,592.34 | $23,196.46 | |
Belfast vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 10.7% less for entertainment and sports
Belfast | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $8.02 £6.07 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.59 £3.48 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $20.05 £15.18 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $46.77 £35.43 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.36 £10.12 | $13.64 | |
Belfast vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.9% less for clothing
Belfast | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $85.26 £64.59 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $45.94 £34.80 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $106.91 £80.98 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $93.54 £70.86 | $112.04 | |
Belfast vs. United States - 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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