Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. Hawaii Cost of Living Summary
California is 3.5% cheaper than Hawaii.
California vs. Hawaii Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of Hawaii, you would:
pay 15.3% less for restaurants
Hawaii | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $31.67 | $21.84 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $13.92 | $12.33 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.92 | $2.79 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.55 | $2.17 | |
Hawaii vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.4% less for groceries
Hawaii | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $7.40 | $4.20 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $9.55 | $6.77 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.31 | $4.73 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $8.02 | $5.14 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $7.30 | $6.05 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $3.53 | $2.30 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.51 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $3.45 | $1.91 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $4.35 | $2.38 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $2.48 | $1.50 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $2.69 | $1.41 | |
Hawaii vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 3.9% less for transportation
Hawaii | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.67 | $4.72 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $73.40 | $63.04 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $34,191.72 | $30,529.84 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $19.78 | $21.43 | |
Hawaii vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 0.4% more for housing
Hawaii | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $62.43 | $67.96 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,196.87 | $2,385.40 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,945.73 | $2,043.56 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $217.24 | $171.94 | |
Hawaii vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 35.8% more for childcare
Hawaii | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,529.17 | $1,633.13 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $18,420.00 | $30,339.97 | |
Hawaii vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 0.6% more for entertainment and sports
Hawaii | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.50 | $7.31 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $6.51 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $12.87 | $10.92 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $59.64 | $68.02 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.16 | $14.99 | |
Hawaii vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.7% less for clothing
Hawaii | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $56.33 | $56.47 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $42.33 | $40.47 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $96.67 | $87.50 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $126.17 | $119.94 | |
Hawaii vs. California - 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
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