Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 2.1 times more expensive than Northern Mariana Islands overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 69.9% more in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 4.3% less in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 12.1% less in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 3.2 times more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 4.8 times more in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 55.3% more in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 82.2% more in San Diego
The cost of childcare, housing, clothing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in San Diego are more expensive than in Northern Mariana Islands. Expenses including transportation and groceries are lower in San Diego. Notably, childcare, housing, and clothing are significantly more expensive in San Diego.
San Diego vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of Northern Mariana Islands, you would:
pay 69.9% more for restaurants
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.50
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.32
|
$2.50
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.3% less for groceries
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.33
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.44
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.33
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.00
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.95
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.03
|
$1.12
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 12.1% less for transportation
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,999.00
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.41
|
$19.40
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 3.2 times more for housing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$60.00
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$625.00
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$450.00
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$254.42
|
$205.84
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 4.8 times more for childcare
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,000.00
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 55.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.12
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
?? |
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.50
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.00
|
$17.50
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 82.2% more for clothing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$30.00
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.00
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$70.00
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$55.00
|
$126.25
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. San Diego - 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
Change currency:
More cost comparisons
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Northern Mariana Islands vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Northern Mariana Islands 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 San Diego or Northern Mariana Islands. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.