Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. Mississippi Cost of Living Summary
California is 48.9% more expensive than Mississippi.
California vs. Mississippi Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of Mississippi, you would:
pay 38.2% more for restaurants
Mississippi | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $15.00 | $21.84 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.25 | $12.33 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.03 | $2.79 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.60 | $2.17 | |
Mississippi vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 30.4% more for groceries
Mississippi | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.88 | $4.20 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.37 | $6.77 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.77 | $4.73 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.67 | $5.14 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.43 | $6.05 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.08 | $2.30 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.69 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.48 | $1.91 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.69 | $2.38 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.44 | $1.50 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.99 | $1.41 | |
Mississippi vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 38.4% more for transportation
Mississippi | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.72 | $4.72 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $40.67 | $63.04 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $33,290.03 | $30,529.84 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $16.11 | $21.43 | |
Mississippi vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 67.3% more for housing
Mississippi | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $69.95 | $67.96 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,110.65 | $2,385.40 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $940.77 | $2,043.56 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $122.85 | $171.94 | |
Mississippi vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 99.5% more for childcare
Mississippi | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,156.92 | $1,633.13 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $11,768.14 | $30,339.97 | |
Mississippi vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 54.2% more for entertainment and sports
Mississippi | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $4.57 | $7.31 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.95 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $8.36 | $10.92 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $30.56 | $68.02 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $10.34 | $14.99 | |
Mississippi vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.1% more for clothing
Mississippi | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $38.71 | $56.47 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $43.36 | $40.47 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $86.31 | $87.50 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $103.51 | $119.94 | |
Mississippi vs. California - 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: June 2026
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