Cost of living comparison
compared to
Reno vs. Carson City Cost of Living Summary
Reno is 3.2% cheaper than Carson City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.1% more in Reno
- Groceries
-
pay 4.8% less in Reno
- Transportation
-
pay 12.8% less in Reno
- Housing
-
pay 16.8% more in Reno
- Childcare
-
pay 25.9% less in Reno
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.6% more in Reno
- Clothing
-
pay 27.6% less in Reno
The cost of restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports in Reno are more expensive than in Carson City. Expenses including clothing, childcare, transportation, and groceries are lower in Reno.
Reno vs. Carson City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Reno instead of Carson City, you would:
pay 22.1% more for restaurants
|
Carson City
|
Reno
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$27.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.79
|
$14.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.67
|
$2.88
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.50
|
$1.90
|
|
Carson City vs. Reno - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.8% less for groceries
|
Carson City
|
Reno
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.31
|
$4.04
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.96
|
$5.58
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.75
|
$4.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.58
|
$4.44
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$8.33
|
$5.47
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.83
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.45
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$3.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$1.25
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.51
|
|
Carson City vs. Reno - Cost of groceries
pay 12.8% less for transportation
|
Carson City
|
Reno
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.17
|
$4.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$65.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,649.85
|
$27,322.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$24.23
|
|
Carson City vs. Reno - Cost of transportation
pay 16.8% more for housing
|
Carson City
|
Reno
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.47
|
$89.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,683.33
|
$1,561.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,050.00
|
$1,400.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.43
|
$142.08
|
|
Carson City vs. Reno - Cost of housing
pay 25.9% less for childcare
|
Carson City
|
Reno
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,850.00
|
$1,371.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$24,561.67
|
|
Carson City vs. Reno - Cost of childcare
pay 9.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Carson City
|
Reno
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.00
|
$5.29
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$9.93
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$35.00
|
$37.68
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$14.50
|
|
Carson City vs. Reno - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.6% less for clothing
|
Carson City
|
Reno
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.00
|
$55.53
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$100.00
|
$33.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.00
|
$78.85
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$150.00
|
$147.00
|
|
Carson City vs. Reno - 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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