Cost of living comparison
California is 7.7% more expensive than Virginia.
If you lived in California instead of Virginia, you would:
pay 7.4% more for restaurants
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.31
|
$19.70
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.23
|
$10.02
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.34
|
$2.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.96
|
$2.01
|
|
pay 4.8% more for groceries
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.18
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.96
|
$6.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.96
|
$4.47
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.87
|
$4.63
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.16
|
$6.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$2.14
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.72
|
$0.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.15
|
$1.77
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.49
|
$1.24
|
|
pay 6.3% more for transportation
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.37
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$111.31
|
$68.08
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,932.76
|
$25,571.45
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.06
|
$17.49
|
|
pay 16.6% more for housing
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$73.88
|
$70.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,780.82
|
$2,161.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,318.30
|
$1,891.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.26
|
$151.84
|
|
pay 3.0% more for childcare
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,242.29
|
$1,413.75
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,459.85
|
$18,865.17
|
|
pay 8.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.89
|
$6.51
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.89
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.44
|
$9.86
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.59
|
$52.94
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.69
|
$13.37
|
|
pay 7.5% more for clothing
|
Virginia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.43
|
$49.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.83
|
$38.84
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$78.57
|
$81.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.39
|
$113.48
|
|
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