Cost of living comparison
compared to
Princeton vs. Traverse City Cost of Living Summary
Princeton is 39.0% more expensive than Traverse City.
Princeton vs. Traverse City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Princeton instead of Traverse City, you would:
pay 7.5% more for restaurants
|
Traverse City
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.60
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.38
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.51
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
|
$2.38
|
|
Traverse City vs. Princeton - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.1% more for groceries
|
Traverse City
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.94
|
$3.67
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.55
|
$12.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$2.82
|
$4.02
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.79
|
$4.04
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.46
|
$10.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.03
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$2.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.08
|
$2.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.21
|
$1.24
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.45
|
$1.43
|
|
Traverse City vs. Princeton - Cost of groceries
pay 67.1% more for transportation
|
Traverse City
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.76
|
$3.58
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$199.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,866.37
|
$36,651.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$25.46
|
|
Traverse City vs. Princeton - Cost of transportation
pay 42.1% more for housing
|
Traverse City
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.50
|
$55.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,983.33
|
$2,882.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,418.00
|
$1,925.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$90.12
|
$163.14
|
|
Traverse City vs. Princeton - Cost of housing
pay 2.6 times more for childcare
|
Traverse City
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,030.00
|
$1,956.48
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,136.00
|
$40,000.00
|
|
Traverse City vs. Princeton - Cost of childcare
pay 72.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Traverse City
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.67
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.00
|
$11.41
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.33
|
$172.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.50
|
$15.00
|
|
Traverse City vs. Princeton - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.9% less for clothing
|
Traverse City
|
Princeton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.33
|
$38.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.67
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.67
|
$81.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$86.67
|
$116.67
|
|
Traverse City vs. Princeton - 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: Traverse City vs. Princeton
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 Princeton or Traverse City. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.