Cost of living comparison
compared to
Carlsbad vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Carlsbad is 20.6% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.5% more in Carlsbad
- Groceries
-
pay 2.3% less in Carlsbad
- Transportation
-
pay 99.8% more in Carlsbad
- Housing
-
pay 33.0% more in Carlsbad
- Childcare
-
pay 13.1% less in Carlsbad
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 44.0% more in Carlsbad
- Clothing
-
pay 20.9% less in Carlsbad
The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, housing, and restaurants in Carlsbad are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including clothing, childcare, and groceries are lower in Carlsbad. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Carlsbad.
Carlsbad vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Carlsbad instead of United States, you would:
pay 3.5% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
Carlsbad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.00
|
|
United States vs. Carlsbad - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.3% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Carlsbad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$5.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.15
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$5.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$3.83
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.57
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.81
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.53
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.64
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.46
|
|
United States vs. Carlsbad - Cost of groceries
pay 99.8% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Carlsbad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.68
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$175.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$49.77
|
|
United States vs. Carlsbad - Cost of transportation
pay 33.0% more for housing
|
United States
|
Carlsbad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$62.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$2,662.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$2,240.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$185.44
|
|
United States vs. Carlsbad - Cost of housing
pay 13.1% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Carlsbad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,206.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
?? | |
United States vs. Carlsbad - Cost of childcare
pay 44.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Carlsbad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$112.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$21.00
|
|
United States vs. Carlsbad - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.9% less for clothing
|
United States
|
Carlsbad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$50.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$24.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$74.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$85.00
|
|
United States vs. Carlsbad - 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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