Cost of living comparison
compared to
Helena vs. Phoenix Cost of Living Summary
Helena is 1.1% more expensive than Phoenix.
Helena vs. Phoenix Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Helena instead of Phoenix, you would:
pay 4.0% more for restaurants
|
Phoenix
|
Helena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$21.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.50
|
$18.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.22
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.41
|
$1.75
|
|
Phoenix vs. Helena - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.4% less for groceries
|
Phoenix
|
Helena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.16
|
$3.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.05
|
$9.00
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.10
|
$3.96
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.41
|
$3.67
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.13
|
$4.08
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$2.14
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.87
|
$0.81
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.92
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.78
|
$1.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.68
|
|
Phoenix vs. Helena - Cost of groceries
pay 0.9% more for transportation
|
Phoenix
|
Helena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.62
|
$3.77
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$64.00
|
$60.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,293.00
|
$35,850.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.79
|
$37.34
|
|
Phoenix vs. Helena - Cost of transportation
pay 11.4% more for housing
|
Phoenix
|
Helena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$77.73
|
$91.74
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,777.50
|
$1,786.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,426.15
|
$1,533.33
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$181.82
|
$287.72
|
|
Phoenix vs. Helena - Cost of housing
pay 12.6% more for childcare
|
Phoenix
|
Helena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,819.33
|
$1,937.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,262.50
|
$27,700.00
|
|
Phoenix vs. Helena - Cost of childcare
pay 15.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Phoenix
|
Helena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.14
|
$5.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.69
|
$10.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$67.08
|
$52.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.75
|
$12.00
|
|
Phoenix vs. Helena - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.2% more for clothing
|
Phoenix
|
Helena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.77
|
$64.75
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.31
|
$118.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$110.18
|
$82.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$135.40
|
$123.50
|
|
Phoenix vs. Helena - Cost of clothing
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
Change currency:
Compare further: Phoenix vs. Helena
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 Helena or Phoenix. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.