Cost of living comparison
compared to
Salem vs. Helena Cost of Living Summary
Salem is 10.6% cheaper than Helena.
Salem vs. Helena Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Salem instead of Helena, you would:
pay 13.7% less for restaurants
|
Helena
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.50
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$18.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.22
|
$2.48
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.75
|
$2.06
|
|
Helena vs. Salem - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.3% more for groceries
|
Helena
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$3.73
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.00
|
$7.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.96
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.67
|
$4.91
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.08
|
$6.27
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.14
|
$2.20
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
|
$0.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.84
|
$1.85
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.37
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.68
|
$1.50
|
|
Helena vs. Salem - Cost of groceries
pay 6.4% less for transportation
|
Helena
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.77
|
$4.79
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.00
|
$45.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,850.00
|
$33,555.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$37.34
|
$20.90
|
|
Helena vs. Salem - Cost of transportation
pay 16.7% less for housing
|
Helena
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$91.74
|
$98.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,786.67
|
$1,531.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,533.33
|
$1,376.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$287.72
|
$166.88
|
|
Helena vs. Salem - Cost of housing
pay 42.5% less for childcare
|
Helena
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,937.00
|
$1,075.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,700.00
|
$16,500.00
|
|
Helena vs. Salem - Cost of childcare
pay 2.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Helena
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.12
|
$4.61
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.38
|
$13.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.50
|
$46.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$15.00
|
|
Helena vs. Salem - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.8% less for clothing
|
Helena
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.75
|
$56.40
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$118.33
|
$46.80
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$82.25
|
$84.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.50
|
$80.00
|
|
Helena vs. Salem - 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
Change currency:
Compare further: Helena vs. Salem
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 Salem or Helena. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.