Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Dakota vs. California Cost of Living Summary
North Dakota is 14.6% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.7% more in North Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 7.5% less in North Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 20.1% less in North Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 25.4% less in North Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 37.1% less in North Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.3% less in North Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 1.4% less in North Dakota
Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing are lower in North Dakota.
North Dakota vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Dakota instead of California, you would:
pay 0.7% more for restaurants
|
California
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$23.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$11.93
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$2.26
|
|
California vs. North Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.5% less for groceries
|
California
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$3.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$6.11
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$3.82
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$6.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.26
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.47
|
|
California vs. North Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 20.1% less for transportation
|
California
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$3.04
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$42.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$33,161.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
?? | |
California vs. North Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 25.4% less for housing
|
California
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$73.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$1,021.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$800.42
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$186.50
|
|
California vs. North Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 37.1% less for childcare
|
California
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$1,026.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
?? | |
California vs. North Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 11.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$5.47
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$6.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$58.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$13.94
|
|
California vs. North Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.4% less for clothing
|
California
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$50.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$54.42
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$85.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$88.33
|
|
California vs. North Dakota - 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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