Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz Cost of Living Summary
Ithaca is 26.4% cheaper than Santa Cruz.
Ithaca vs. Santa Cruz Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ithaca instead of Santa Cruz, you would:
pay 19.6% less for restaurants
Santa Cruz | Ithaca | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $25.00 | $20.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $15.00 | $11.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.93 | $2.71 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.67 | $2.02 | |
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca - Cost of restaurants
pay 27.6% less for groceries
Santa Cruz | Ithaca | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $5.27 | $3.93 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $10.35 | $7.27 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.25 | $3.81 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $6.50 | $4.04 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.75 | $2.99 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $3.53 | $2.27 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.00 | $0.73 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.90 | $2.63 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.80 | $2.17 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $2.04 | $1.22 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.55 | $1.64 | |
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca - Cost of groceries
pay 9.2% less for transportation
Santa Cruz | Ithaca | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.79 | $3.30 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.00 | $45.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $23,894.01 | $36,787.68 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $22.70 | $16.15 | |
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca - Cost of transportation
pay 41.9% less for housing
Santa Cruz | Ithaca | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $76.17 | $64.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,989.17 | $1,783.33 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,639.80 | $1,166.67 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $244.30 | $104.95 | |
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca - Cost of housing
pay 46.2% less for childcare
Santa Cruz | Ithaca | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $2,738.89 | $1,712.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $37,770.00 | $17,000.00 | |
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca - Cost of childcare
pay 21.3% less for entertainment and sports
Santa Cruz | Ithaca | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $5.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.33 | $5.00 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.00 | $8.99 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $60.00 | $42.50 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.50 | $11.00 | |
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.7% less for clothing
Santa Cruz | Ithaca | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.00 | $43.50 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $56.00 | $39.77 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $80.00 | $80.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $115.00 | $107.83 | |
Santa Cruz vs. Ithaca - 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: June 2026
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