Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Dakota vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
North Dakota is 5.4% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.0% more in North Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 0.5% more in North Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 14.8% less in North Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 12.9% less in North Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 26.0% less in North Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.3% more in North Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 1.1% more in North Dakota
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries in North Dakota are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, transportation, and housing are lower in North Dakota.
North Dakota vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Dakota instead of United States, you would:
pay 11.0% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$23.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$11.93
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.26
|
|
United States vs. North Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.5% more for groceries
|
United States
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$6.11
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.82
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$6.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.26
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.47
|
|
United States vs. North Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 14.8% less for transportation
|
United States
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.04
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$42.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$33,161.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
?? | |
United States vs. North Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 12.9% less for housing
|
United States
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$73.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,021.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$800.42
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$186.50
|
|
United States vs. North Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 26.0% less for childcare
|
United States
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,026.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
?? | |
United States vs. North Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 3.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$5.47
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$6.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$58.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$13.94
|
|
United States vs. North Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.1% more for clothing
|
United States
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$50.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$54.42
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$85.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$88.33
|
|
United States vs. North Dakota - 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
Change currency:
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 North Dakota or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.