Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Tennessee Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 45.1% more expensive than Tennessee.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.6% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 26.4% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 29.9% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 32.9% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 65.0% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 17.8% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, groceries, and restaurants in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Tennessee. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. Tennessee Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Tennessee, you would:
pay 24.6% more for restaurants
|
Tennessee
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.38
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.61
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.84
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$2.79
|
|
Tennessee vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 26.4% more for groceries
|
Tennessee
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.09
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.60
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.02
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.26
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.81
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.55
|
$1.64
|
|
Tennessee vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 29.9% more for transportation
|
Tennessee
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.85
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$43.19
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,576.40
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
|
$16.73
|
|
Tennessee vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 32.9% more for housing
|
Tennessee
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.00
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,440.17
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,280.54
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$166.18
|
$146.54
|
|
Tennessee vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Tennessee
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,018.45
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,585.44
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Tennessee vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 65.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Tennessee
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.33
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.22
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.78
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.70
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.08
|
$16.75
|
|
Tennessee vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.8% more for clothing
|
Tennessee
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.54
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.28
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.58
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.74
|
$133.22
|
|
Tennessee vs. District of Columbia - 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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