Cost of living comparison
compared to
Mesa vs. Lakeland Cost of Living Summary
Mesa is 11.6% more expensive than Lakeland.
Mesa vs. Lakeland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Mesa instead of Lakeland, you would:
pay 18.9% more for restaurants
Lakeland | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $18.50 | $20.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.29 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.55 | $2.80 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.75 | $2.25 | |
Lakeland vs. Mesa - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.4% less for groceries
Lakeland | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.61 | $4.20 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.06 | $6.23 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.32 | $3.40 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.47 | $4.69 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.00 | $5.93 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.76 | $2.08 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.62 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.47 | $1.75 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.33 | $2.63 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.33 | $1.42 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.66 | $1.30 | |
Lakeland vs. Mesa - Cost of groceries
pay 1.0% more for transportation
Lakeland | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.12 | $3.46 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? | $45.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,050.00 | $36,113.30 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $15.17 | $13.94 | |
Lakeland vs. Mesa - Cost of transportation
pay 7.0% more for housing
Lakeland | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $60.00 | $83.95 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,795.00 | $1,734.25 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,459.75 | $1,353.67 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $198.18 | $196.17 | |
Lakeland vs. Mesa - Cost of housing
pay 20.1% more for childcare
Lakeland | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $675.00 | $1,200.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $25,000.00 | $15,605.00 | |
Lakeland vs. Mesa - Cost of childcare
pay 16.0% more for entertainment and sports
Lakeland | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $4.25 | $6.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.87 | $6.04 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.50 | $9.22 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $33.33 | $42.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $12.00 | $13.00 | |
Lakeland vs. Mesa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.6% more for clothing
Lakeland | Mesa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $42.50 | $47.22 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $37.38 | $41.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $73.50 | $91.72 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $85.00 | $112.79 | |
Lakeland vs. Mesa - 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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