Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Monica vs. France Cost of Living Summary
Santa Monica is 46.4% more expensive than France overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 11.5% more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
- pay 26.7% more in Santa Monica
- Transportation
- pay 9.8% less in Santa Monica
- Housing
- pay 2.7 times more in Santa Monica
- Childcare
- pay 86.3% more in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 42.5% more in Santa Monica
- Clothing
- pay 4.0% less in Santa Monica
Santa Monica vs. France Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of France, you would:
pay 11.5% more for restaurants
France | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.40 €15.27 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.58 €11.05 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.85 €2.51 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.92 €1.69 | $2.00 | |
France vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants
pay 26.7% more for groceries
France | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.00 €1.75 | $4.41 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $9.90 €8.69 | $6.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.07 €4.45 | $4.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.06 €3.56 | $5.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.32 €5.55 | $6.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.38 €1.21 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.04 €0.91 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.32 €1.16 | $1.84 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.53 €1.34 | $2.53 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.96 €0.84 | $1.38 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.09 €0.96 | $1.22 | |
France vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries
pay 9.8% less for transportation
France | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.83 €6.88 | $4.74 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $55.31 €48.56 | $67.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $35,101.00 €30,818.75 | $32,727.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $21.22 €18.64 | $18.01 | |
France vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation
pay 2.7 times more for housing
France | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $32.49 €28.52 | $69.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $812.51 €713.38 | $3,175.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $661.67 €580.95 | $2,533.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $156.40 €137.32 | $155.53 | |
France vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing
pay 86.3% more for childcare
France | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $772.72 €678.45 | $1,762.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $10,376.63 €9,110.70 | $15,000.00 | |
France vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare
pay 42.5% more for entertainment and sports
France | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 €6.15 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.57 €3.13 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $13.51 €11.86 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $39.74 €34.89 | $90.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.44 €11.80 | $18.00 | |
France vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.0% less for clothing
France | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $95.54 €83.88 | $61.25 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.45 €36.39 | $44.15 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $99.85 €87.67 | $100.09 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $132.46 €116.30 | $149.85 | |
France vs. Santa Monica - 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: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: France vs. Santa Monica
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in France vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within France and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Santa Monica or France. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.