Cost of living comparison
compared to
East Lansing vs. Topeka Cost of Living Summary
East Lansing is 23.9% more expensive than Topeka.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.1% more in East Lansing
- Groceries
-
pay 20.4% more in East Lansing
- Transportation
-
pay 24.8% more in East Lansing
- Housing
-
pay 32.8% more in East Lansing
- Childcare
-
pay 47.4% more in East Lansing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.5% less in East Lansing
- Clothing
-
pay 12.2% more in East Lansing
East Lansing vs. Topeka Cost Breakdown
If you lived in East Lansing instead of Topeka, you would:
pay 20.1% more for restaurants
|
Topeka
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.50
|
$16.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.32
|
$2.51
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.76
|
$2.17
|
|
Topeka vs. East Lansing - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.4% more for groceries
|
Topeka
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
|
$2.95
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.40
|
$5.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.17
|
$3.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.99
|
$2.79
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.84
|
$7.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.18
|
$2.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
|
$0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$3.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$1.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
|
$2.60
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$2.54
|
|
Topeka vs. East Lansing - Cost of groceries
pay 24.8% more for transportation
|
Topeka
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.39
|
$3.74
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,000.00
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.18
|
$34.85
|
|
Topeka vs. East Lansing - Cost of transportation
pay 32.8% more for housing
|
Topeka
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.33
|
$63.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$783.80
|
$1,207.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$850.00
|
$1,045.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.50
|
$134.29
|
|
Topeka vs. East Lansing - Cost of housing
pay 47.4% more for childcare
|
Topeka
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$440.00
|
$648.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$11,136.00
|
|
Topeka vs. East Lansing - Cost of childcare
pay 1.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Topeka
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.50
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.50
|
$5.40
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$9.52
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.00
|
$36.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$11.00
|
|
Topeka vs. East Lansing - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.2% more for clothing
|
Topeka
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$38.44
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$28.33
|
$37.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.00
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$80.00
|
$85.00
|
|
Topeka vs. East Lansing - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Topeka vs. East Lansing
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about East Lansing or Topeka. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.