Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. Kansas Cost of Living Summary
California is 39.0% more expensive than Kansas.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.7% more in California
- Groceries
-
pay 26.5% more in California
- Transportation
-
pay 41.4% more in California
- Housing
-
pay 64.8% more in California
- Childcare
-
pay 75.5% more in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 27.1% more in California
- Clothing
-
pay 10.0% more in California
The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries in California are more expensive than in Kansas. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in California.
California vs. Kansas Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of Kansas, you would:
pay 27.7% more for restaurants
|
Kansas
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.75
|
$21.84
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.33
|
$12.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.38
|
$2.79
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.66
|
$2.17
|
|
Kansas vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 26.5% more for groceries
|
Kansas
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.19
|
$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.96
|
$6.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.49
|
$4.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.65
|
$5.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.32
|
$6.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.35
|
$2.30
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.03
|
$1.41
|
|
Kansas vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 41.4% more for transportation
|
Kansas
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.89
|
$4.72
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$43.00
|
$63.04
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,461.30
|
$30,529.84
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.47
|
$21.43
|
|
Kansas vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 64.8% more for housing
|
Kansas
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.63
|
$67.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,012.80
|
$2,385.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,010.76
|
$2,043.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$152.37
|
$171.94
|
|
Kansas vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 75.5% more for childcare
|
Kansas
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$890.42
|
$1,633.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,110.70
|
$30,339.97
|
|
Kansas vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 27.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kansas
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.17
|
$7.31
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.89
|
$5.58
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.42
|
$10.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.40
|
$68.02
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$14.99
|
|
Kansas vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.0% more for clothing
|
Kansas
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.35
|
$56.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.25
|
$40.47
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.30
|
$87.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$110.83
|
$119.94
|
|
Kansas 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
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