Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Dakota vs. Pennsylvania Cost of Living Summary
North Dakota is 0.9% cheaper than Pennsylvania.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.4% more in North Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 3.4% less in North Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 13.5% less in North Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 5.1% less in North Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 17.3% less in North Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.9% more in North Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 3.0% more in North Dakota
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in North Dakota are more expensive than in Pennsylvania. Expenses including childcare, transportation, housing, and groceries are lower in North Dakota.
North Dakota vs. Pennsylvania Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Dakota instead of Pennsylvania, you would:
pay 18.4% more for restaurants
|
Pennsylvania
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.35
|
$23.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.53
|
$11.93
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$2.26
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. North Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.4% less for groceries
|
Pennsylvania
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.50
|
$3.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.29
|
$6.11
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.21
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.15
|
$3.82
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.39
|
$6.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
|
$0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$1.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.26
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$1.47
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. North Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 13.5% less for transportation
|
Pennsylvania
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.27
|
$3.04
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.77
|
$42.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,293.42
|
$33,161.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.76
|
?? | |
Pennsylvania vs. North Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 5.1% less for housing
|
Pennsylvania
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.32
|
$73.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,401.89
|
$1,021.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,229.68
|
$800.42
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$142.67
|
$186.50
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. North Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 17.3% less for childcare
|
Pennsylvania
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,240.98
|
$1,026.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,464.89
|
?? | |
Pennsylvania vs. North Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 11.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Pennsylvania
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$5.47
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.04
|
$6.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.28
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.69
|
$58.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.09
|
$13.94
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. North Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.0% more for clothing
|
Pennsylvania
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.59
|
$50.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.05
|
$54.42
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.26
|
$85.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$104.87
|
$88.33
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. North Dakota - 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:
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 North Dakota or Pennsylvania. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.