Cost of living comparison
compared to
Grand Rapids vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Grand Rapids is 5.3% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.5% less in Grand Rapids
- Groceries
-
pay 1.3% less in Grand Rapids
- Transportation
-
pay 2.8% less in Grand Rapids
- Housing
-
pay 11.6% less in Grand Rapids
- Childcare
-
pay 20.5% less in Grand Rapids
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.5% less in Grand Rapids
- Clothing
-
pay 11.1% more in Grand Rapids
Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, and groceries are lower in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Grand Rapids instead of United States, you would:
pay 7.5% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$18.49
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$11.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.41
|
|
United States vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.3% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.13
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$7.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.46
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$4.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.53
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.83
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.97
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.66
|
|
United States vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of groceries
pay 2.8% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$47.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$20.70
|
|
United States vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of transportation
pay 11.6% less for housing
|
United States
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$72.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,691.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,191.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$93.79
|
|
United States vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of housing
pay 20.5% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$950.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$21,000.00
|
|
United States vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of childcare
pay 4.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$4.88
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$40.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$15.00
|
|
United States vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.1% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$58.91
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$47.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$87.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$130.00
|
|
United States vs. Grand Rapids - 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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