Cost of living comparison

compared to

East Lansing vs. France Cost of Living Summary

East Lansing is 4.8% more expensive than France overall.

Restaurants
pay 15.2% less in East Lansing
Groceries
pay 8.9% more in East Lansing
Transportation
pay 25.3% less in East Lansing
Housing
pay 39.9% more in East Lansing
Childcare
pay 64.8% more in East Lansing
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.8% less in East Lansing
Clothing
pay 35.9% less in East Lansing

The cost of childcare, housing, and groceries in East Lansing are more expensive than in France. Expenses including clothing, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in East Lansing.

East Lansing vs. France Cost Breakdown

If you lived in East Lansing instead of France, you would:

pay 15.2% less for restaurants

 
France
East Lansing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.40
€14.85
$13.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.58
€10.75
$10.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.85
€2.44
$2.57
 

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pay 8.9% more for groceries

 
France
East Lansing
Bread
1 loaf
$2.00
€1.71
$3.31
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $9.90
€8.45
$6.06
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.07
€4.33
$3.57
 

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pay 25.3% less for transportation

 
France
East Lansing
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.83
€6.69
$3.30
 
Monthly public transit pass $55.31
€47.23
$50.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,101.00
€29,971.41
$35,699.74
 

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pay 39.9% more for housing

 
France
East Lansing
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$32.49
€27.74
$52.14
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $812.51
€693.77
$1,233.33
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $661.67
€564.97
$1,066.67
 

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pay 64.8% more for childcare

 
France
East Lansing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $772.72
€659.80
$1,294.79
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,376.63
€8,860.21
$16,800.00
 

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pay 3.8% less for entertainment and sports

 
France
East Lansing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.00
€5.98
$6.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.57
€3.05
$4.86
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.51
€11.54
$10.00
 

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pay 35.9% less for clothing

 
France
East Lansing
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$95.54
€81.58
$45.00
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.45
€35.39
$31.00
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$99.85
€85.26
$70.00
 

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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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