Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. California Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 36.0% more expensive than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.6% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 24.8% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 26.6% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 19.8% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 90.9% more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 48.0% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 29.1% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, groceries, and housing in New York City are more expensive than in California. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of California, you would:
pay 12.6% more for restaurants
|
California
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$2.61
|
|
California vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.8% more for groceries
|
California
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.78
|
|
California vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 26.6% more for transportation
|
California
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$22.39
|
|
California vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 19.8% more for housing
|
California
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$151.98
|
|
California vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 90.9% more for childcare
|
California
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$57,250.00
|
|
California vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 48.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$20.00
|
|
California vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 29.1% more for clothing
|
California
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$168.76
|
|
California 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: December 2025
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