Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. Rhode Island Cost of Living Summary
California is 7.6% more expensive than Rhode Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.1% more in California
- Groceries
-
pay 5.5% less in California
- Transportation
-
pay 0.2% less in California
- Housing
-
pay 5.4% more in California
- Childcare
-
pay 10.9% more in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.2% more in California
- Clothing
-
pay 34.5% more in California
The cost of clothing, childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, and restaurants in California are more expensive than in Rhode Island. Expenses including groceries and transportation are lower in California.
California vs. Rhode Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of Rhode Island, you would:
pay 1.1% more for restaurants
|
Rhode Island
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.33
|
$21.84
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.33
|
$12.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.79
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$2.17
|
|
Rhode Island vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.5% less for groceries
|
Rhode Island
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.99
|
$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$6.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
|
$4.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
|
$5.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.50
|
$6.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.30
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$1.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.41
|
|
Rhode Island vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 0.2% less for transportation
|
Rhode Island
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$4.72
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$63.04
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,181.63
|
$30,529.84
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.61
|
$21.43
|
|
Rhode Island vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 5.4% more for housing
|
Rhode Island
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.25
|
$67.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,195.21
|
$2,385.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.56
|
$2,043.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.52
|
$171.94
|
|
Rhode Island vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 10.9% more for childcare
|
Rhode Island
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,353.94
|
$1,633.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$30,339.97
|
|
Rhode Island vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 7.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Rhode Island
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.42
|
$7.31
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$5.58
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.17
|
$10.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.00
|
$68.02
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.42
|
$14.99
|
|
Rhode Island vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 34.5% more for clothing
|
Rhode Island
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.10
|
$56.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.67
|
$40.47
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.83
|
$87.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.89
|
$119.94
|
|
Rhode Island vs. California - 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 California or Rhode Island. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.