Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Bethesda Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 29.7% more expensive than Bethesda.
- Restaurants
-
pay 36.5% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 56.7% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 38.4% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 53.2% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 6.3% less in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.8% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 3.8% more in New York City
New York City vs. Bethesda Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Bethesda, you would:
pay 36.5% more for restaurants
|
Bethesda
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.50
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.40
|
$2.61
|
|
Bethesda vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 56.7% more for groceries
|
Bethesda
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.97
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.38
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.58
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.33
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.87
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.86
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.78
|
|
Bethesda vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 38.4% more for transportation
|
Bethesda
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.16
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$100.00
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,000.00
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.58
|
$22.39
|
|
Bethesda vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 53.2% more for housing
|
Bethesda
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.50
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,250.00
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,866.67
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$79.25
|
$151.98
|
|
Bethesda vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 6.3% less for childcare
|
Bethesda
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,175.00
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$65,000.00
|
$57,250.00
|
|
Bethesda vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 25.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Bethesda
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.60
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.00
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$141.00
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$20.00
|
|
Bethesda vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.8% more for clothing
|
Bethesda
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$56.67
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$115.00
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$130.00
|
$168.76
|
|
Bethesda vs. New York City - 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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