Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Hawaii Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 2.6% cheaper than Hawaii.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.5% less in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 33.5% less in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 3.4% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 3.2% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 85.8% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.9% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 3.7% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, and housing in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Hawaii. Expenses including groceries and restaurants are lower in District of Columbia. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. Hawaii Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Hawaii, you would:
pay 10.5% less for restaurants
|
Hawaii
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$30.50
|
$28.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.21
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.38
|
$3.17
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.82
|
$2.64
|
|
Hawaii vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 33.5% less for groceries
|
Hawaii
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$7.91
|
$4.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.88
|
$8.53
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.39
|
$4.95
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$8.21
|
$5.64
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.56
|
$7.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.94
|
$3.17
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$1.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.89
|
$2.27
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$4.77
|
$2.64
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$1.29
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.82
|
$1.73
|
|
Hawaii vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 3.4% more for transportation
|
Hawaii
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.07
|
$4.19
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.40
|
$120.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,814.00
|
$36,375.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.59
|
$16.73
|
|
Hawaii vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 3.2% more for housing
|
Hawaii
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$73.95
|
$77.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,389.72
|
$2,717.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,073.89
|
$2,228.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$227.50
|
$161.22
|
|
Hawaii vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 85.8% more for childcare
|
Hawaii
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,779.83
|
$3,221.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$21,749.17
|
$41,506.00
|
|
Hawaii vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 23.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Hawaii
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.67
|
$9.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$7.08
|
$6.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.25
|
$13.94
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$60.03
|
$114.30
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.09
|
$18.00
|
|
Hawaii vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.7% more for clothing
|
Hawaii
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.60
|
$71.42
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.66
|
$44.11
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.78
|
$104.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.12
|
$125.16
|
|
Hawaii vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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