Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. California Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 14.6% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.8% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2% less in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 9.3% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 22.9% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 20.8% less in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.9% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 6.5% less in North Carolina
Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, childcare, restaurants, transportation, and clothing are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of California, you would:
pay 17.8% less for restaurants
|
California
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$1.82
|
|
California vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.2% less for groceries
|
California
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.80
|
|
California vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 9.3% less for transportation
|
California
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$19.99
|
|
California vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 22.9% less for housing
|
California
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$132.31
|
|
California vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 20.8% less for childcare
|
California
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$24,633.15
|
|
California vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 22.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$12.98
|
|
California vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.5% less for clothing
|
California
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$111.01
|
|
California vs. North Carolina - 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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