Cost of living comparison
compared to
Johnson City vs. Lawrence Cost of Living Summary
Johnson City is 1.9% cheaper than Lawrence.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.4% less in Johnson City
- Groceries
-
pay 6.1% more in Johnson City
- Transportation
-
pay 15.9% more in Johnson City
- Housing
-
pay 9.8% less in Johnson City
- Childcare
-
pay 3.6% less in Johnson City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.2% less in Johnson City
- Clothing
-
pay 12.6% less in Johnson City
Johnson City vs. Lawrence Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Johnson City instead of Lawrence, you would:
pay 4.4% less for restaurants
|
Lawrence
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.00
|
$14.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.55
|
$2.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.87
|
$2.00
|
|
Lawrence vs. Johnson City - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.1% more for groceries
|
Lawrence
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.15
|
$3.86
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.64
|
$3.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.30
|
$3.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$3.19
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.71
|
$6.23
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$3.53
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.95
|
$0.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$1.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
|
$1.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
|
$1.56
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$1.96
|
|
Lawrence vs. Johnson City - Cost of groceries
pay 15.9% more for transportation
|
Lawrence
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.42
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$37.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,349.00
|
$32,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.91
|
$17.18
|
|
Lawrence vs. Johnson City - Cost of transportation
pay 9.8% less for housing
|
Lawrence
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$64.75
|
$62.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,187.50
|
$1,100.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$924.25
|
$919.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$210.42
|
$132.80
|
|
Lawrence vs. Johnson City - Cost of housing
pay 3.6% less for childcare
|
Lawrence
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$980.50
|
$1,208.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,239.33
|
$14,500.00
|
|
Lawrence vs. Johnson City - Cost of childcare
pay 1.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Lawrence
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.09
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.00
|
$7.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.00
|
$46.66
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
Lawrence vs. Johnson City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.6% less for clothing
|
Lawrence
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.67
|
$37.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.56
|
$31.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.00
|
$85.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$100.00
|
$95.00
|
|
Lawrence vs. Johnson 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
Change currency:
Compare further: Lawrence vs. Johnson City
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 Johnson City or Lawrence. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.