Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aliso Viejo, CA and Atlantic City, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Atlantic City, NJ: $2,821 a month against $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in Aliso Viejo, CA
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Aliso Viejo, CA Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Atlantic City, NJ
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Atlantic City, NJ Living Index

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Aliso Viejo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,964

/mo nomad

Atlantic City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aliso Viejo, CA and in Atlantic City, NJ

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aliso Viejo, CA and in Atlantic City, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $2,821 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Aliso Viejo, CA $3,964
Atlantic City, NJ $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,003 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $4,228 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Aliso Viejo, CA $6,003
Atlantic City, NJ $4,228

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,043 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $5,635 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Aliso Viejo, CA $8,043
Atlantic City, NJ $5,635

Living in Aliso Viejo, CA is roughly 41% more expensive than in Atlantic City, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aliso Viejo, CA 193% above, Atlantic City, NJ 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.73 $24.73

$19.73 $19.73

25.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$98.1 $98.1

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.32 $14.32

$11.30 $11.30

26.73%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$5.43 $5.43

8.84%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.28 $2.28

53.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.01 $2.01

39.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 $8.22

$6.09 $6.09

34.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$8.78 $8.78

13.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.24 $1.24

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.38 $3.38

41.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$7.27 $7.27

-35.08%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$4.21 $4.21

20.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$11.18 $11.18

1.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$16.67 $16.67

-3.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 $17.67

$20.14 $20.14

-12.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$7.55 $7.55

-27.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.69 $3.69

-53.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$5.41 $5.41

-13.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 $6.62

$5.86 $5.86

12.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.98 $3.98

-9.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$4.75 $4.75

-40.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.54 $2.54

-13.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.45 $2.45

-0.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.92 $11.92

$14.24 $14.24

-16.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$13.27 $13.27

15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.64 $2.64

-31.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.38 $3.38

-7.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.04 $3.04

0.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.3 $88.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.99 $2.99

49.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.11 $2.11

-9.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 $32.04

$42.73 $42.73

-25.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.96 $0.96

65.63%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.0K $35.0K

$20.4K $20.4K

71.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.0K $27.0K

$24.8K $24.8K

8.83%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$212 $212

$250 $250

-15.30%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$61.2 $61.2

16.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$61.0 $61.0

16.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 $38.84

$29.59 $29.59

31.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 $50.1

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 $17.19

$16.78 $16.78

2.44%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,698 $1,698

$503 $503

237.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$7,031 $7,031

352.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 $72.5

$70.5 $70.5

2.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 $65.1

$31.78 $31.78

104.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$122 $122

-4.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 $169

$120 $120

41.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 $2,908

$1,737 $1,737

67.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 $2,466

$1,307 $1,307

88.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,191 $4,191

$2,320 $2,320

80.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 $4,644

$2,175 $2,175

113.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,007 $7,007

$4,255 $4,255

64.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,500 $6,500

$4,212 $4,212

54.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,985 $7,985

$4,017 $4,017

98.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.67

2.85%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aliso Viejo, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Atlantic City, NJ: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aliso Viejo, CA

$2.5K 62.2%

Atlantic City, NJ

$1.3K 46.3% 47% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Aliso Viejo, CA

$456 11.5%

Atlantic City, NJ

$488 17.3% 7% $32

Eating Out

Aliso Viejo, CA

$398 10%

Atlantic City, NJ

$322 11.4% 19.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aliso Viejo, CA

$355 8.9%

Atlantic City, NJ

$372 13.2% 5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Aliso Viejo, CA

$190 4.8%

Atlantic City, NJ

$155 5.5% 18.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Aliso Viejo, CA

$73 1.9%

Atlantic City, NJ

$63 2.2% 13.8% $10

Getting Around

Aliso Viejo, CA

$26 * 0.7%

Atlantic City, NJ

$114 4% 333% $88

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA and $1,737 in Atlantic City, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aliso Viejo, CA pays 99% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $98.0 in Aliso Viejo, CA vs $98.0 in Atlantic City, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $488 per month, with Aliso Viejo, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aliso Viejo, CA

🇺🇸 Atlantic City, NJ

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

04:11 4:11 AM

3 h ahead of Aliso Viejo, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,489

39,958

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aliso Viejo, CA Atlantic City, NJ 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Aliso Viejo, CA
Atlantic City, NJ

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aliso Viejo, CA vs Atlantic City, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aliso Viejo, CA and Atlantic City, NJ differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($3,964 vs $2,821 including rent). Atlantic City, NJ is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Aliso Viejo, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,737 in Atlantic City, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aliso Viejo, CA pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $3,964 per month in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $2,821 in Atlantic City, NJ – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Atlantic City, NJ is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aliso Viejo, CA and Atlantic City, NJ are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Atlantic City, NJ gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Aliso Viejo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.