Cost of living comparison
compared to
Cary vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Cary is 3.7% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.2% less in Cary
- Groceries
-
pay 16.1% more in Cary
- Transportation
-
pay 10.4% less in Cary
- Childcare
-
pay 6.9% more in Cary
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.6% more in Cary
- Clothing
-
pay 10.2% more in Cary
The cost of groceries, clothing, entertainment and sports, and childcare in Cary are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including transportation, restaurants, and housing are lower in Cary.
Cary vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Cary instead of United States, you would:
pay 9.2% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Cary
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$10.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.06
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.92
|
|
United States vs. Cary - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.1% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Cary
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$5.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$10.29
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.62
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$5.69
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.57
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.81
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.94
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$3.01
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.13
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.59
|
|
United States vs. Cary - Cost of groceries
pay 10.4% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Cary
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$60.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
?? | |
United States vs. Cary - Cost of transportation
pay (unknown) more for housing
|
United States
|
Cary
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$63.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,796.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,600.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$130.23
|
United States vs. Cary - Cost of housing
pay 6.9% more for childcare
|
United States
|
Cary
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,483.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
?? | |
United States vs. Cary - Cost of childcare
pay 8.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Cary
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.09
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$76.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$13.75
|
|
United States vs. Cary - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.2% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Cary
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$48.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$32.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$128.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$136.67
|
|
United States vs. Cary - 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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