Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Bethesda Cost of Living Summary
United States is 7.9% cheaper than Bethesda.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.7% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 15.7% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 8.8% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 12.4% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 60.3% less in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.8% less in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 22.7% less in United States
The cost of groceries, housing, restaurants, and transportation in United States are more expensive than in Bethesda. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in United States.
United States vs. Bethesda Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Bethesda, you would:
pay 10.7% more for restaurants
|
Bethesda
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.50
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.00
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.40
|
$2.00
|
|
Bethesda vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.7% more for groceries
|
Bethesda
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.97
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.38
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.58
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.33
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.87
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.86
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.38
|
|
Bethesda vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 8.8% more for transportation
|
Bethesda
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.16
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$100.00
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,000.00
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.58
|
$17.61
|
|
Bethesda vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 12.4% more for housing
|
Bethesda
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.50
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,250.00
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,866.67
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$79.25
|
$150.19
|
|
Bethesda vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 60.3% less for childcare
|
Bethesda
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,175.00
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$65,000.00
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Bethesda vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 19.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Bethesda
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.60
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.00
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$141.00
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$13.64
|
|
Bethesda vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 22.7% less for clothing
|
Bethesda
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$56.67
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$115.00
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$130.00
|
$112.04
|
|
Bethesda 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: December 2025
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