Cost of living comparison
compared to
Costa Mesa vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary
Costa Mesa is 14.0% cheaper than Washington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.3% less in Costa Mesa
- Groceries
-
pay 9.8% less in Costa Mesa
- Transportation
-
pay 4.9% more in Costa Mesa
- Housing
-
pay 16.1% more in Costa Mesa
- Childcare
-
pay 54.5% less in Costa Mesa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.0% less in Costa Mesa
- Clothing
-
pay 23.4% less in Costa Mesa
The cost of housing and transportation in Costa Mesa are more expensive than in Washington. Expenses including childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Costa Mesa.
Costa Mesa vs. Washington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Mesa instead of Washington, you would:
pay 12.3% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.20
|
$3.33
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.20
|
|
Washington vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.8% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.43
|
$3.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.04
|
$5.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$4.28
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.55
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.74
|
$4.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.87
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$2.56
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$2.00
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.32
|
|
Washington vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of groceries
pay 4.9% more for transportation
|
Washington
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.53
|
$4.74
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.50
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$26,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.73
|
?? | |
Washington vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of transportation
pay 16.1% more for housing
|
Washington
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.41
|
$62.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,568.48
|
$2,798.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,088.16
|
$2,466.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.54
|
$216.33
|
|
Washington vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of housing
pay 54.5% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,650.00
|
$1,206.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$40,166.67
|
?? | |
Washington vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of childcare
pay 19.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.07
|
$5.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$103.76
|
$40.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
|
$16.50
|
|
Washington vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.4% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.00
|
$54.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.40
|
$34.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.31
|
$90.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.22
|
$102.25
|
|
Washington 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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