Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. Isle of Man Cost of Living Summary
California is 6.3% more expensive than Isle of Man overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.1% more in California
- Groceries
-
pay 38.0% more in California
- Transportation
-
pay 16.6% less in California
- Housing
-
pay 35.6% more in California
- Childcare
-
pay 3.3% less in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.9% less in California
- Clothing
-
pay 5.0% less in California
The cost of groceries, housing, and restaurants in California are more expensive than in Isle of Man. Expenses including transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and childcare are lower in California.
California vs. Isle of Man Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of Isle of Man, you would:
pay 2.1% more for restaurants
|
Isle of Man
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$29.38
£21.97
|
$21.84
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.14
£7.58
|
$12.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.70
£2.02
|
$2.79
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.99
£1.49
|
$2.17
|
|
Isle of Man vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 38.0% more for groceries
|
Isle of Man
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
£1.69
|
$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.56
£2.66
|
$6.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.28
£6.19
|
$4.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
£3.73
|
$5.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.63
£2.72
|
$6.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.10
£0.82
|
$2.30
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
£0.61
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.30
£0.97
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.79
£1.34
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.36
£1.02
|
$1.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.36
£1.02
|
$1.41
|
|
Isle of Man vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 16.6% less for transportation
|
Isle of Man
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.98
£5.97
|
$4.72
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$89.03
£66.58
|
$63.04
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,200.43
£25,576.14
|
$30,529.84
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.70
£13.98
|
$21.43
|
|
Isle of Man vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 35.6% more for housing
|
Isle of Man
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.34
£55.59
|
$67.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,259.12
£941.61
|
$2,385.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,096.96
£820.34
|
$2,043.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$228.92
£171.19
|
$171.94
|
|
Isle of Man vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 3.3% less for childcare
|
Isle of Man
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,671.96
£1,250.34
|
$1,633.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$31,716.53
£23,718.60
|
$30,339.97
|
|
Isle of Man vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 6.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Isle of Man
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
£4.89
|
$7.31
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.23
£3.91
|
$5.58
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$22.03
£16.48
|
$10.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.44
£48.94
|
$68.02
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.03
£11.98
|
$14.99
|
|
Isle of Man vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.0% less for clothing
|
Isle of Man
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$96.82
£72.40
|
$56.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.07
£33.70
|
$40.47
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.40
£84.06
|
$87.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.90
£58.26
|
$119.94
|
|
Isle of Man 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: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Isle of Man vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Isle of Man 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 California or Isle of Man. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.