Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Lakeland Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 57.8% more expensive than Lakeland.
- Restaurants
-
pay 36.6% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 28.8% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 8.6% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 85.7% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 3.6 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 99.3% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 46.9% more in New York City
New York City vs. Lakeland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Lakeland, you would:
pay 36.6% more for restaurants
|
Lakeland
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.75
|
$26.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
|
$3.95
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.75
|
$2.97
|
|
Lakeland vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 28.8% more for groceries
|
Lakeland
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.94
|
$4.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$9.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.12
|
$5.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.94
|
$6.03
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.00
|
$7.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$3.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
|
$0.96
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.33
|
$3.08
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$1.83
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.57
|
$2.04
|
|
Lakeland vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 8.6% more for transportation
|
Lakeland
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.79
|
$4.31
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$140.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,928.80
|
$35,458.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.17
|
$20.44
|
|
Lakeland vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 85.7% more for housing
|
Lakeland
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.33
|
$71.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,766.67
|
$4,447.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,666.67
|
$3,217.65
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$187.98
|
$164.80
|
|
Lakeland vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 3.6 times more for childcare
|
Lakeland
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$650.00
|
$3,379.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,000.00
|
$60,882.67
|
|
Lakeland vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 99.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lakeland
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.50
|
$8.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.91
|
$6.50
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.25
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.25
|
$121.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$22.50
|
|
Lakeland vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 46.9% more for clothing
|
Lakeland
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.00
|
$75.86
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.50
|
$54.45
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.50
|
$120.38
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.50
|
$132.00
|
|
Lakeland vs. New York City - 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
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