Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Long Island Cost of Living Summary
United States is 3.6% cheaper than Long Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.2% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 11.8% less in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 5.0% less in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 20.1% less in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.2% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 9.0% more in United States
The cost of clothing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in United States are more expensive than in Long Island. Expenses including childcare, groceries, transportation, and housing are lower in United States.
United States vs. Long Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Long Island, you would:
pay 5.2% more for restaurants
|
Long Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.74
|
$2.00
|
|
Long Island vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.8% less for groceries
|
Long Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.05
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.73
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.62
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.17
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.62
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.87
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.25
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.51
|
$1.38
|
|
Long Island vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 5.0% less for transportation
|
Long Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.30
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$129.50
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,000.00
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$17.61
|
|
Long Island vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay (unknown) more for housing
|
Long Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.25
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,325.00
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,250.00
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$103.54
|
$150.19
|
Long Island vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 20.1% less for childcare
|
Long Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,250.00
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,666.67
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Long Island vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 1.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Long Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.75
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.98
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.00
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.00
|
$13.64
|
|
Long Island vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.0% more for clothing
|
Long Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$30.00
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$63.33
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$76.33
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$131.67
|
$112.04
|
|
Long Island vs. United States - 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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