Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 26.0% more expensive than Washington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.1% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 17.3% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 0.9% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 21.4% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 58.7% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.9% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 27.4% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, restaurants, housing, and groceries in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Washington.
District of Columbia vs. Washington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Washington, you would:
pay 27.1% more for restaurants
|
Washington
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.22
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.05
|
$2.79
|
|
Washington vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.3% more for groceries
|
Washington
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.94
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.07
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.20
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.68
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.75
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.86
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.02
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.64
|
|
Washington vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 0.9% less for transportation
|
Washington
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.20
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$67.70
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,322.93
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.81
|
$16.73
|
|
Washington vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 21.4% more for housing
|
Washington
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.42
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,724.04
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,522.88
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.51
|
$146.54
|
|
Washington vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 58.7% more for childcare
|
Washington
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,634.82
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,866.06
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Washington vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 30.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.33
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.03
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$56.25
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.46
|
$16.75
|
|
Washington vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.4% more for clothing
|
Washington
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.71
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.67
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.77
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$108.22
|
$133.22
|
|
Washington vs. District of Columbia - 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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