Cost of living comparison

compared to

Santa Monica vs. Paris Cost of Living Summary

Santa Monica is 30.8% more expensive than Paris.

Restaurants
pay 18.0% more in Santa Monica
Groceries
pay 21.4% more in Santa Monica
Transportation
pay 21.2% less in Santa Monica
Housing
pay 96.1% more in Santa Monica
Childcare
pay 7.3% more in Santa Monica
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.3% more in Santa Monica
Clothing
pay 13.5% less in Santa Monica

The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and childcare in Santa Monica are more expensive than in Paris. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Santa Monica. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Santa Monica.

Santa Monica vs. Paris Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Paris, you would:

pay 18.0% more for restaurants

 
Paris
Santa Monica
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.92
€15.95
$26.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.44
€11.96
$15.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $4.55
€4.05
$3.23
 

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pay 21.4% more for groceries

 
Paris
Santa Monica
Bread
1 loaf
$2.49
€2.21
$4.68
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $11.08
€9.87
$7.99
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.83
€5.19
$5.24
 

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pay 21.2% less for transportation

 
Paris
Santa Monica
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.46
€7.53
$5.65
 
Monthly public transit pass $101.67
€90.49
$67.50
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,599.83
€30,795.09
$36,998.00
 

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pay 96.1% more for housing

 
Paris
Santa Monica
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$29.90
€26.61
$65.20
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,564.13
€1,392.13
$3,375.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,192.71
€1,061.55
$2,833.33
 

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pay 7.3% more for childcare

 
Paris
Santa Monica
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,800.03
€1,602.09
$1,676.09
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $26,004.30
€23,144.76
$32,155.00
 

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pay 27.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Paris
Santa Monica
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.84
€6.98
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.05
€4.50
$5.86
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$14.56
€12.96
$11.71
 

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pay 13.5% less for clothing

 
Paris
Santa Monica
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$110.29
€98.16
$88.25
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$52.46
€46.69
$55.00
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$118.77
€105.71
$104.75
 

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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