Cost of Living Comparison Between Palo Alto, CA and Washington, DC Cost of Living Comparison Between Palo Alto, CA and Washington, DC

😐 Solo nomad: Palo Alto, CA is 2.3% more expensive than Washington, DC without rent, and 29.9% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Palo Alto, CA is 5.5% cheaper than Washington, DC without rent, and 16.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$27.17 $27.17

-9.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 $109

$119 $119

-7.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 $11.62

$12.08 $12.08

-3.81%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$5.92 $5.92

-4.56%

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

$3.38 $3.38

$3.03 $3.03

11.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.71 $2.71

-9.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$8.17 $8.17

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.04 $10.04

$10.15 $10.15

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.19 $1.19

23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$5.17 $5.17

$4.56 $4.56

13.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$6.89 $6.89

-52.25%

Eggs

$6.16 $6.16

$4.36 $4.36

41.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.45 $21.45

$17.27 $17.27

24.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.01 $15.01

$15.49 $15.49

-3.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.29 $23.29

$19.25 $19.25

20.99%

Apples (1kg)

$7.32 $7.32

$6.25 $6.25

17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$2 $2

25.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$5.14 $5.14

-7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$6.65 $6.65

-1.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.48 $3.48

6.90%

Onion (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.69 $3.69

20.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.69 $2.69

7.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.49 $2.49

10.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.18 $11.18

$12.43 $12.43

-10.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.8 $17.8

$16.18 $16.18

10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.89 $2.89

-19.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$4.53 $4.53

-26.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.8 $2.8

-11.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.5 $90.5

$74.6 $74.6

21.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.96 $3.96

7.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.54 $2.54

-27.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.14 $30.14

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.9 $0.9

41.11%

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

$30K $30K

$29.5K $29.5K

1.67%

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

$27K $27K

$25.6K $25.6K

5.79%

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

$224 $224

$212 $212

5.96%

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

$49.27 $49.27

$59.1 $59.1

-16.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$68.5 $68.5

-1.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 $121

$112 $112

7.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.36 $20.36

$38.61 $38.61

-47.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 $15.68

$16.78 $16.78

-6.56%

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

$2,694 $2,694

$2,671 $2,671

0.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.6K $45.6K

$40.7K $40.7K

12.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$79 $79

-31.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 $44.26

$49.66 $49.66

-10.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 $87.4

$101 $101

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$143 $143

-4.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,374 $3,374

$2,544 $2,544

32.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,135 $3,135

$2,070 $2,070

51.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,086 $6,086

$5,866 $5,866

3.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,729 $5,729

$4,209 $4,209

36.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,209 $6,209

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,125 $5,125

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,763 $9,763

$6,075 $6,075

60.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.48

0.46%

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

Last update for Palo Alto, CA: November 29, 2025

Last update for Washington, DC: December 2, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Hamilton

🇧🇲 Bermuda

Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

Key West, FL

🇺🇸 United States