Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. Micronesia, Federated States of Cost of Living Summary
California is 59.5% more expensive than Micronesia, Federated States of overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 67.1% more in California
- Groceries
-
pay 16.6% more in California
- Transportation
-
pay 47.7% less in California
- Housing
-
pay 2.5 times more in California
- Childcare
-
pay 9.8 times more in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.2 times more in California
- Clothing
-
pay 14.8% less in California
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in California are more expensive than in Micronesia, Federated States of. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in California. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in California.
California vs. Micronesia, Federated States of Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of Micronesia, Federated States of, you would:
pay 67.1% more for restaurants
|
Micronesia, Federated States of
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.50
|
$22.31
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.50
|
$12.78
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.25
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$4.00
|
$2.26
|
|
Micronesia, Federated States of vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.6% more for groceries
|
Micronesia, Federated States of
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.35
|
$4.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.50
|
$7.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$1.00
|
$4.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.25
|
$5.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$6.10
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.72
|
$2.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$0.94
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$2.60
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$1.61
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$1.39
|
|
Micronesia, Federated States of vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 47.7% less for transportation
|
Micronesia, Federated States of
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$14.01
|
$5.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$64.45
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$35,604.61
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.94
|
$20.97
|
|
Micronesia, Federated States of vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 2.5 times more for housing
|
Micronesia, Federated States of
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$198.00
|
$69.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$900.00
|
$2,414.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$621.67
|
$2,061.17
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$103.24
|
$172.98
|
|
Micronesia, Federated States of vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 9.8 times more for childcare
|
Micronesia, Federated States of
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$170.00
|
$1,659.26
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$30,706.19
|
|
Micronesia, Federated States of vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Micronesia, Federated States of
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | ?? |
$7.15
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.00
|
$5.63
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$11.42
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$20.00
|
$65.06
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? |
$15.07
|
|
Micronesia, Federated States of vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.8% less for clothing
|
Micronesia, Federated States of
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$80.00
|
$58.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$68.00
|
$43.96
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$110.00
|
$91.63
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$98.00
|
$130.37
|
|
Micronesia, Federated States of vs. California - 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: Micronesia, Federated States of vs. California
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in California?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 3 statistics
Make 19.0 times more money in California
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Micronesia, Federated States of is about 575 times smaller than California.
→
Moving from Micronesia, Federated States of to California · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
More cost comparisons
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Micronesia, Federated States of vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Micronesia, Federated States of and United States.
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 California or Micronesia, Federated States of. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.