Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 21.8% more expensive than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.3% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 9.7% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 5.8% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 20.3% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 54.5% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.6% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 25.3% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, restaurants, clothing, entertainment and sports, housing, and groceries in District of Columbia are more expensive than in New York.
District of Columbia vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of New York, you would:
pay 26.3% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.79
|
|
New York vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.7% more for groceries
|
New York
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.64
|
|
New York vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 5.8% less for transportation
|
New York
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
$16.73
|
|
New York vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 20.3% more for housing
|
New York
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
$146.54
|
|
New York vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 54.5% more for childcare
|
New York
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
$40,166.67
|
|
New York vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 22.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$16.75
|
|
New York vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.3% more for clothing
|
New York
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$133.22
|
|
New York vs. District of Columbia - 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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