Cost of living comparison
compared to
College Station vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary
College Station is 24.5% cheaper than Washington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 32.0% less in College Station
- Groceries
-
pay 5.0% less in College Station
- Transportation
-
pay 8.1% more in College Station
- Housing
-
pay 29.0% less in College Station
- Childcare
-
pay 55.6% less in College Station
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 40.1% less in College Station
- Clothing
-
pay 17.7% less in College Station
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, clothing, and groceries are lower in College Station.
College Station vs. Washington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in College Station instead of Washington, you would:
pay 32.0% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
College Station
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$14.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.20
|
$2.82
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$1.70
|
|
Washington vs. College Station - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 5.0% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
College Station
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.43
|
$2.91
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.04
|
$5.46
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$3.49
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.55
|
$2.63
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.74
|
$3.81
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$2.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.92
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$2.75
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$2.57
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$2.13
|
|
Washington vs. College Station - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 8.1% more for transportation
|
Washington
|
College Station
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.53
|
$2.79
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.50
|
$20.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$37,232.40
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.73
|
$37.33
|
|
Washington vs. College Station - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 29.0% less for housing
|
Washington
|
College Station
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.41
|
$63.10
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,568.48
|
$1,250.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,088.16
|
$960.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.54
|
$144.07
|
|
Washington vs. College Station - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 55.6% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
College Station
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,650.00
|
$1,166.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$40,166.67
|
$18,000.00
|
|
Washington vs. College Station - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 40.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
College Station
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$4.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.07
|
$4.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$103.76
|
$36.25
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
|
$11.25
|
|
Washington vs. College Station - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 17.7% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
College Station
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.00
|
$39.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.40
|
$38.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.31
|
$86.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.22
|
$153.75
|
|
Washington vs. College Station - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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 College Station or Washington. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.