Cost of living comparison
compared to
Carson City vs. Reno Cost of Living Summary
Carson City is 13.1% more expensive than Reno.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.6% less in Carson City
- Groceries
-
pay 10.5% more in Carson City
- Transportation
-
pay 18.0% more in Carson City
- Housing
-
pay 11.4% less in Carson City
- Childcare
-
pay 34.9% more in Carson City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.3% less in Carson City
- Clothing
-
pay 65.8% more in Carson City
The cost of clothing, childcare, transportation, and groceries in Carson City are more expensive than in Reno. Expenses including restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Carson City.
Carson City vs. Reno Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Carson City instead of Reno, you would:
pay 17.6% less for restaurants
|
Reno
|
Carson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$27.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.00
|
$11.79
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.88
|
$2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.90
|
$1.50
|
|
Reno vs. Carson City - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.5% more for groceries
|
Reno
|
Carson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.04
|
$3.31
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.58
|
$4.96
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.94
|
$4.75
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.44
|
$4.58
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.47
|
$8.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.45
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.21
|
$2.47
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.25
|
$1.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.51
|
$1.50
|
|
Reno vs. Carson City - Cost of groceries
pay 18.0% more for transportation
|
Reno
|
Carson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$4.17
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.00
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,322.00
|
$37,649.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$24.23
|
?? | |
Reno vs. Carson City - Cost of transportation
pay 11.4% less for housing
|
Reno
|
Carson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$89.29
|
$62.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,561.11
|
$1,683.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,400.00
|
$1,050.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$142.08
|
$144.43
|
|
Reno vs. Carson City - Cost of housing
pay 34.9% more for childcare
|
Reno
|
Carson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,371.67
|
$1,850.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,561.67
|
?? | |
Reno vs. Carson City - Cost of childcare
pay 8.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Reno
|
Carson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.29
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.93
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.68
|
$35.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.50
|
$12.00
|
|
Reno vs. Carson City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 65.8% more for clothing
|
Reno
|
Carson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.53
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$33.25
|
$100.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$78.85
|
$120.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$147.00
|
$150.00
|
|
Reno vs. Carson City - 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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