Cost of living comparison
compared to
Northern Mariana Islands vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Northern Mariana Islands is 11.4% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.2% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 22.1% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 33.9% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Housing
-
pay 11.9% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 75.6% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.2% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 26.2% less in Northern Mariana Islands
The cost of transportation and groceries in Northern Mariana Islands are more expensive than in North Carolina. Expenses including childcare, clothing, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Northern Mariana Islands.
Northern Mariana Islands vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Northern Mariana Islands instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 18.2% less for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$11.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$1.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.32
|
|
North Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of restaurants
pay 22.1% more for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$3.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$8.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$6.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$6.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.03
|
|
North Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of groceries
pay 33.9% more for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$5.49
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$36,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$21.41
|
|
North Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of transportation
pay 11.9% less for housing
|
North Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$625.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$450.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$254.42
|
|
North Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of housing
pay 75.6% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$6,000.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of childcare
pay 4.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$5.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$47.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$8.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.2% less for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$55.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - 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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