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

🙂 Solo nomad: Washington, DC is 2.2% cheaper than Palo Alto, CA without rent, and 23% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Washington, DC is 5.8% more expensive than Palo Alto, CA without rent, and 13.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.17 $27.17

$24.52 $24.52

10.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$109 $109

8.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 $12.08

$11.62 $11.62

3.96%

Cappuccino

$5.92 $5.92

$5.65 $5.65

4.78%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$3.38 $3.38

-10.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.44 $2.44

11.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 $8.17

$7.88 $7.88

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.15 $10.15

$10.04 $10.04

1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.47 $1.47

-19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$5.17 $5.17

-11.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.29 $3.29

109.42%

Eggs

$4.36 $4.36

$6.16 $6.16

-29.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.27 $17.27

$21.45 $21.45

-19.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.49 $15.49

$15.01 $15.01

3.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$23.29 $23.29

-17.35%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$7.32 $7.32

-14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2 $2

$2.51 $2.51

-20.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.75 $4.75

8.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$6.54 $6.54

1.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.72 $3.72

-6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$4.46 $4.46

-17.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.88 $2.88

-6.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.75 $2.75

-9.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.43 $12.43

$11.18 $11.18

11.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.18 $16.18

$17.8 $17.8

-9.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.33 $2.33

24.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.35 $3.35

35.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.8 $2.8

$2.47 $2.47

13.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.6 $74.6

$90.5 $90.5

-17.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.26 $4.26

-7.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.83 $1.83

38.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.14 $30.14

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.9 $0.9

$1.27 $1.27

-29.13%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$30K $30K

-1.64%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$27K $27K

-5.47%

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

$212 $212

$224 $224

-5.62%

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

$59.1 $59.1

$49.27 $49.27

19.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$67.5 $67.5

1.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$121 $121

-7.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.61 $38.61

$20.36 $20.36

89.64%

Cinema Ticket

$16.78 $16.78

$15.68 $15.68

7.02%

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

$2,671 $2,671

$2,694 $2,694

-0.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.7K $40.7K

$45.6K $45.6K

-10.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79 $79

$53.7 $53.7

47.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.66 $49.66

$44.26 $44.26

12.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$87.4 $87.4

16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$136 $136

5.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,544 $2,544

$3,374 $3,374

-24.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,070 $2,070

$3,135 $3,135

-33.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,866 $5,866

$6,086 $6,086

-3.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,209 $4,209

$5,729 $5,729

-26.54%

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)

$6,075 $6,075

$9,763 $9,763

-37.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

6.51

-0.46%

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

Last update for Washington, DC: December 2, 2025

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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