California vs. Micronesia, Federated States of Cost of Living Summary

California is 2.6 times more expensive than Micronesia, Federated States of overall.

Restaurants
pay 58.0% more in California
Groceries
pay 47.7% more in California
Transportation
pay 11.4% less in California
Housing
pay 98.6% more in California
Childcare
pay 9.6 times more in California
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.2 times more in California
Clothing
pay 17.0% less in California

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, and groceries in California are more expensive than in Micronesia, Federated States of. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in California. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing 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 58.0% more for restaurants

 
Micronesia, Federated States of
California
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $11.50
 
$21.84
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.50
 
$12.33
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.25
 
$2.79
 

Improve prices ·

pay 47.7% more for groceries

 
Micronesia, Federated States of
California
Bread
1 loaf
$3.35
 
$4.20
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.50
 
$6.77
 
Milk (1 gallon) $1.00
 
$4.73
 

Improve prices ·

pay 11.4% less for transportation

 
Micronesia, Federated States of
California
Gasoline (1 gallon) $14.01
 
$4.72
 
Monthly public transit pass ?? $63.04
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $30,529.84
 

Improve prices ·

pay 98.6% more for housing

 
Micronesia, Federated States of
California
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$198.00
 
$67.96
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $900.00
 
$2,385.40
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $621.67
 
$2,043.56
 

Improve prices ·

pay 9.6 times more for childcare

 
Micronesia, Federated States of
California
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $170.00
 
$1,633.13
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $30,339.97
 

Improve prices ·

pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Micronesia, Federated States of
California
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) ?? $7.31
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.00
 
$5.58
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.00
 
$10.92
 

Improve prices ·

pay 17.0% less for clothing

 
Micronesia, Federated States of
California
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$80.00
 
$56.47
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$68.00
 
$40.47
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$110.00
 
$87.50
 

Improve prices ·
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: April 2026
Share this

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.