Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca Cost of Living Summary
Santa Cruz is 46.3% more expensive than Ithaca.
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Cruz instead of Ithaca, you would:
pay 25.3% more for restaurants
Ithaca | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.00 | $15.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.71 | $2.93 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.02 | $2.67 | |
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of restaurants
pay 44.8% more for groceries
Ithaca | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.93 | $5.27 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.27 | $10.35 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.81 | $5.25 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.04 | $6.50 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.99 | $6.75 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.27 | $3.53 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.73 | $1.00 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.63 | $2.90 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.17 | $2.80 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.22 | $2.04 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.64 | $1.55 | |
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of groceries
pay 23.7% more for transportation
Ithaca | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.30 | $4.79 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $45.00 | $65.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,787.68 | $23,894.01 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $16.15 | $22.70 | |
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of transportation
pay 86.0% more for housing
Ithaca | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $64.97 | $76.17 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,783.33 | $2,989.17 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,166.67 | $2,639.80 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $104.95 | $244.30 | |
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of housing
pay 91.0% more for childcare
Ithaca | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,712.50 | $2,738.89 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $17,000.00 | $37,770.00 | |
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of childcare
pay 28.4% more for entertainment and sports
Ithaca | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.00 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.00 | $5.33 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $8.99 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $42.50 | $60.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.00 | $14.50 | |
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 24.6% more for clothing
Ithaca | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $43.50 | $55.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $39.77 | $56.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $80.00 | $80.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $107.83 | $115.00 | |
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz - 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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