Cost of living comparison
compared to
Princeton vs. Tempe Cost of Living Summary
Princeton is 47.4% more expensive than Tempe.
- Restaurants
- pay 5.7% less in Princeton
- Groceries
- pay 37.1% more in Princeton
- Transportation
- pay 74.1% more in Princeton
- Housing
- pay 6.2% less in Princeton
- Childcare
- pay 2.1 times more in Princeton
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 2.0 times more in Princeton
- Clothing
- pay 15.0% more in Princeton
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, groceries, and clothing in Princeton are more expensive than in Tempe. Expenses including housing and restaurants are lower in Princeton. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Princeton.
Princeton vs. Tempe Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Princeton instead of Tempe, you would:
pay 5.7% less for restaurants
Tempe | Princeton | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $19.17 | $17.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.25 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.80 | $2.50 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.40 | $2.33 | |
Tempe vs. Princeton - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.1% more for groceries
Tempe | Princeton | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.20 | $4.04 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.82 | $12.86 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.40 | $4.15 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.83 | $4.23 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.93 | $11.00 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.08 | $3.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.75 | $1.15 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.75 | $2.42 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.26 | $2.75 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.12 | $1.24 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.30 | $1.67 | |
Tempe vs. Princeton - Cost of groceries
pay 74.1% more for transportation
Tempe | Princeton | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.40 | $3.17 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $61.00 | $199.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,113.30 | $32,955.62 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $13.69 | $25.46 | |
Tempe vs. Princeton - Cost of transportation
pay 6.2% less for housing
Tempe | Princeton | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $83.95 | $51.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,900.00 | $2,700.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,750.00 | $1,925.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $196.17 | $122.52 | |
Tempe vs. Princeton - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
Tempe | Princeton | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,091.67 | $1,858.33 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,605.00 | $40,000.00 | |
Tempe vs. Princeton - Cost of childcare
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
Tempe | Princeton | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.00 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.38 | $5.20 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.49 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $30.00 | $172.50 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.50 | $15.00 | |
Tempe vs. Princeton - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.0% more for clothing
Tempe | Princeton | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $53.12 | $32.80 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $43.50 | $24.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $88.00 | $142.50 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $111.67 | $202.50 | |
Tempe vs. Princeton - 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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