Cost of living comparison
compared to
East Lansing vs. Rome Cost of Living Summary
East Lansing is 15.1% more expensive than Rome.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.4% less in East Lansing
- Groceries
-
pay 15.4% more in East Lansing
- Transportation
-
pay 10.8% less in East Lansing
- Housing
-
pay 10.3% more in East Lansing
- Childcare
-
pay 90.7% more in East Lansing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 28.4% more in East Lansing
- Clothing
-
pay 27.8% less in East Lansing
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, and housing in East Lansing are more expensive than in Rome. Expenses including clothing, transportation, and restaurants are lower in East Lansing. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in East Lansing.
East Lansing vs. Rome Cost Breakdown
If you lived in East Lansing instead of Rome, you would:
pay 0.4% less for restaurants
|
Rome
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.52
€14.96
|
$13.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.68
€9.97
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
€2.14
|
$2.57
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.34
€1.14
|
$1.82
|
|
Rome vs. East Lansing - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.4% more for groceries
|
Rome
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.21
€1.89
|
$3.31
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.54
€8.14
|
$6.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.12
€6.08
|
$3.57
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.62
€3.95
|
$2.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.53
€4.72
|
$5.25
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.21
€1.03
|
$2.08
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.04
€0.89
|
$0.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.08
€0.92
|
$2.65
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
€1.23
|
$2.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.85
€0.73
|
$0.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
€0.84
|
$1.13
|
|
Rome vs. East Lansing - Cost of groceries
pay 10.8% less for transportation
|
Rome
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.66
€6.54
|
$3.30
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$40.88
€34.91
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,199.74
€24,932.55
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.86
€16.95
|
$13.68
|
|
Rome vs. East Lansing - Cost of transportation
pay 10.3% more for housing
|
Rome
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$32.12
€27.42
|
$52.14
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,436.63
€1,226.68
|
$1,233.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$927.65
€792.09
|
$1,066.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.74
€146.64
|
$134.29
|
|
Rome vs. East Lansing - Cost of housing
pay 90.7% more for childcare
|
Rome
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$568.18
€485.15
|
$1,294.79
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,951.36
€9,350.95
|
$16,800.00
|
|
Rome vs. East Lansing - Cost of childcare
pay 28.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Rome
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
€4.99
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.01
€1.72
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.18
€6.13
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$70.65
€60.32
|
$36.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.68
€9.97
|
$12.50
|
|
Rome vs. East Lansing - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.8% less for clothing
|
Rome
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$81.76
€69.81
|
$45.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
€32.25
|
$31.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.68
€75.72
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$116.80
€99.73
|
$85.00
|
|
Rome vs. East Lansing - 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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