Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York vs. California Cost of Living Summary
New York is 3.7% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.5% less in New York
- Groceries
-
pay 0.2% more in New York
- Transportation
-
pay 6.5% more in New York
- Housing
-
pay 16.8% less in New York
- Childcare
-
pay 4.1% less in New York
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.3% more in New York
- Clothing
-
pay 2.4% less in New York
The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, and groceries in New York are more expensive than in California. Expenses including housing, restaurants, childcare, and clothing are lower in New York.
New York vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York instead of California, you would:
pay 9.5% less for restaurants
|
California
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$20.39
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$11.80
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.45
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$1.86
|
|
California vs. New York - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.2% more for groceries
|
California
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$3.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$7.84
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$4.25
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$4.76
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$5.49
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.39
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.88
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.16
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.43
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.63
|
|
California vs. New York - Cost of groceries
pay 6.5% more for transportation
|
California
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$3.32
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$95.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$33,821.80
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$19.88
|
|
California vs. New York - Cost of transportation
pay 16.8% less for housing
|
California
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$65.63
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$1,876.02
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$1,567.68
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$139.14
|
|
California vs. New York - Cost of housing
pay 4.1% less for childcare
|
California
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$1,788.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$24,966.76
|
|
California vs. New York - Cost of childcare
pay 0.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$6.28
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$5.14
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$14.22
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$63.27
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$14.99
|
|
California vs. New York - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.4% less for clothing
|
California
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$49.49
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$44.18
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$85.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$115.57
|
|
California vs. New York - 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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