Cost of living comparison
compared to
Washington vs. Santa Monica Cost of Living Summary
Washington is 20.2% more expensive than Santa Monica.
Washington vs. Santa Monica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Washington instead of Santa Monica, you would:
pay 16.2% more for restaurants
Santa Monica | Washington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $25.00 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.50 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.83 | $3.20 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.00 | $2.79 | |
Santa Monica vs. Washington - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.3% more for groceries
Santa Monica | Washington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.41 | $4.43 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.67 | $8.04 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.71 | $4.19 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.00 | $4.55 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.33 | $7.74 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.00 | $2.95 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.87 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.84 | $2.20 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.53 | $3.00 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.38 | $1.35 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.22 | $1.64 | |
Santa Monica vs. Washington - Cost of groceries
pay 2.1% less for transportation
Santa Monica | Washington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.74 | $3.53 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $67.50 | $77.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,727.50 | $35,699.74 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $18.01 | $16.73 | |
Santa Monica vs. Washington - Cost of transportation
pay 10.5% less for housing
Santa Monica | Washington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $69.00 | $69.41 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $3,175.00 | $2,568.48 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,533.33 | $2,088.16 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $155.53 | $146.54 | |
Santa Monica vs. Washington - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
Santa Monica | Washington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,762.50 | $2,650.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,000.00 | $40,166.67 | |
Santa Monica vs. Washington - Cost of childcare
pay 8.9% more for entertainment and sports
Santa Monica | Washington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $8.00 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.58 | $6.07 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.00 | $13.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $90.00 | $103.76 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $18.00 | $16.75 | |
Santa Monica vs. Washington - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.7% more for clothing
Santa Monica | Washington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $61.25 | $76.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $44.15 | $48.40 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $100.09 | $104.31 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $149.85 | $133.22 | |
Santa Monica vs. Washington - 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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