Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 17.9% cheaper than Los Angeles.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.4% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 6.2% less in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 14.8% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 23.6% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 18.6% less in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.1% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 17.9% less in North Carolina
Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, childcare, clothing, and transportation are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 22.4% less for restaurants
|
Los Angeles
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$1.82
|
|
Los Angeles vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.2% less for groceries
|
Los Angeles
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.52
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.55
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.80
|
|
Los Angeles vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 14.8% less for transportation
|
Los Angeles
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$93.48
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
$19.99
|
|
Los Angeles vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 23.6% less for housing
|
Los Angeles
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.01
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,536.54
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,984.71
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$132.31
|
|
Los Angeles vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 18.6% less for childcare
|
Los Angeles
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,000.00
|
$24,633.15
|
|
Los Angeles vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 22.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Los Angeles
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.76
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.45
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$12.98
|
|
Los Angeles vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.9% less for clothing
|
Los Angeles
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$111.01
|
|
Los Angeles vs. North Carolina - 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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