Cost of living comparison
compared to
Costa Mesa vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Costa Mesa is 9.2% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.7% more in Costa Mesa
- Groceries
-
pay 4.8% more in Costa Mesa
- Transportation
-
pay 11.2% more in Costa Mesa
- Housing
-
pay 44.2% more in Costa Mesa
- Childcare
-
pay 13.1% less in Costa Mesa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.6% more in Costa Mesa
- Clothing
-
pay 4.1% less in Costa Mesa
The cost of housing, restaurants, transportation, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Costa Mesa are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Costa Mesa.
Costa Mesa vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Mesa instead of United States, you would:
pay 12.7% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
|
$3.33
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.20
|
|
United States vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.8% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$5.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.28
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$4.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.87
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.56
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$2.00
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.32
|
|
United States vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of groceries
pay 11.2% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.74
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$26,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
?? | |
United States vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of transportation
pay 44.2% more for housing
|
United States
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$62.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$2,798.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$2,466.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$216.33
|
|
United States vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of housing
pay 13.1% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. Costa Mesa - Cost of childcare
pay 8.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$40.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$16.50
|
|
United States vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.1% less for clothing
|
United States
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$54.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$34.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$90.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$102.25
|
|
United States vs. Costa Mesa - 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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