Cost of Living in United States - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: United States
Address: US

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $1,160 (excluding rent), and $2,824 including rent.

Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $2,773 (excluding rent), and $5,499 including rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 $19.72

$11.83 $11.83

$39.44 $39.44

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 $73.5

$49.02 $49.02

$147 $147

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 $11.68

$10.16 $10.16

$15.24 $15.24

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$3.01 $3.01

$8.02 $8.02

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

$2.49 $2.49

$1.94 $1.94

$3.89 $3.89

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.47 $1.47

$2.94 $2.94

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$4.10 $4.10

$9.22 $9.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 $7.10

$5.07 $5.07

$12.18 $12.18

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.54 $0.54

$2.11 $2.11

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.96 $1.96

$6.67 $6.67

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.98 $1.98

$8.62 $8.62

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$1.97 $1.97

$7.56 $7.56

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 $12.81

$6.56 $6.56

$26.28 $26.28

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.04 $12.04

$5.43 $5.43

$21.75 $21.75

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.53 $16.53

$10.04 $10.04

$26.78 $26.78

Apples (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.24 $2.24

$9.00 $9.00

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.12 $1.12

$4.50 $4.50

Oranges (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.15 $2.15

$11.34 $11.34

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.10 $2.10

$8.58 $8.58

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.11 $1.11

$6.65 $6.65

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.77 $1.77

$6.71 $6.71

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.33 $1.33

$5.01 $5.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.03 $1.03

$3.59 $3.59

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 $10.11

$8.09 $8.09

$19.22 $19.22

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 $14.90

$8.94 $8.94

$24.83 $24.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.77 $1.77

$3.65 $3.65

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.54 $1.54

$7.18 $7.18

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.53 $1.53

$4.09 $4.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 $66.0

$35.51 $35.51

$134 $134

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.63 $2.63

$7.08 $7.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.22 $1.22

$3.04 $3.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.91 $29.91

$21.94 $21.94

$44.87 $44.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.75 $0.75

$1.34 $1.34

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$24.3K $24.3K

$36.7K $36.7K

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.9K $24.9K

$28.1K $28.1K

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

$210 $210

$121 $121

$390 $390

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

$58.1 $58.1

$30.33 $30.33

$101 $101

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$49.05 $49.05

$107 $107

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.42 $45.42

$19.80 $19.80

$141 $141

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.94 $21.94

$8.01 $8.01

$64.7 $64.7

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.71 $10.71

$20.40 $20.40

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

$1,399 $1,399

$815 $815

$3,223 $3,223

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K $22.8K

$12.1K $12.1K

$40.3K $40.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 $51.4

$28.54 $28.54

$78.7 $78.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.81 $41.81

$23.56 $23.56

$68.7 $68.7

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 $88.8

$59.2 $59.2

$128 $128

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$65.3 $65.3

$201 $201

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 $1,737

$1,102 $1,102

$4,150 $4,150

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 $1,418

$939 $939

$2,759 $2,759

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,929 $2,929

$1,833 $1,833

$8,542 $8,542

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,417 $2,417

$1,617 $1,617

$5,271 $5,271

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,365 $3,365

$1,444 $1,444

$20.5K $20.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,688 $2,688

$1,299 $1,299

$9,639 $9,639

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,394 $4,394

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

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

Last update: March 9, 2026

By City in United States

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
701	Lake Havasu City, AZ	57144	121	$766	$2,452	$1,844	$4,433	52.77	424.69
702	Lake Norden, SD	600	129	$1,031	$2,554	$2,320	$5,010	317.81	1.14
703	Lake Orion, MI	3000	120	$880	$2,410	$2,486	$4,624	134.6	322.87
704	Lake Oswego, OR	40731	124	$1,116	$2,475	$2,841	$4,794	87.75	351
705	Lake Tahoe, CA	21319	129	$1,022	$2,607	$2,500	$5,014	72.33	229.47
706	Lake Worth, FL	42000	133	$1,186	$2,617	$2,746	$5,139	135.54	396.9
707	Lakeland, FL	108054	139	$919	$2,813	$2,625	$5,343	41.86	441.15
708	Lakewood, WA	140024	125	$1,129	$2,527	$2,599	$5,133	129.88	406.3
709	Lancaster, CA	59322	137	$1,160	$2,776	$2,788	$5,252	33.39	389.12
710	Lancaster, PA	59322	115	$1,213	$2,295	$2,403	$4,696	42.03	324.88
711	Lansing, IL	112644	129	$1,156	$2,537	$2,744	$5,013	103.17	367.72
712	Lansing, MI	112644	95	$1,027	$1,920	$2,033	$3,687	133.3	366.31
713	Laramie, WY	32909	131	$1,088	$2,638	$2,375	$4,226	36.33	360.26
714	Laredo, TX	255205	100	$863	$2,021	$2,176	$3,820	7.41	215.24
715	Largo, FL	73796	117	$1,011	$2,337	$2,404	$4,800	183.99	423.23
716	Las Cruces, NM	111385	95	$1,052	$1,901	$2,361	$3,886	101.87	305.11
717	Las Vegas, NV	-	140	$1,137	$2,738	$2,733	$5,262	305.24	371.64
718	Laurel, MD	18540	134	$1,028	$2,653	$2,708	$5,720	90.39	385.13
719	Laurel, MS	18540	129	$1,110	$2,525	$2,527	$4,768	265.69	300.19
720	Lawrence, KS	95358	106	$856	$2,099	$2,592	$4,561	15.27	326.07
721	Lawrenceville, GA	29873	115	$843	$2,338	$1,942	$4,390	95.57	407.92
722	Lawton, OK	87540	124	$952	$2,525	$2,479	$3,626	165.85	365.46
723	League City, TX	83560	125	$1,037	$2,508	$2,483	$4,709	99.3	369.31
724	Leander, TX	26521	134	$968	$2,667	$2,490	$6,857	203	381.68
725	Lebanon, NH	25477	143	$1,114	$2,830	$3,079	$6,201	115.08	363.01
726	Lebanon, OH	25477	126	$1,073	$2,570	$2,128	$4,699	211.14	335.11
727	Leesburg, VA	54215	132	$1,254	$2,654	$2,944	$5,024	167.64	318.12
728	Lehi, UT	86284	111	$1,185	$2,239	$2,485	$4,368	75.7	416.05
729	Lenoir City, TN	10000	118	$956	$2,354	$2,118	$4,369	15	353.15
730	Lenoir, NC	-	129	$949	$2,538	$2,902	$4,846	38.86	341.58
731	Lewis Center, OH	-	126	$881	$2,511	$2,594	$4,853	14.06	343.93
732	Lewisburg, PA	5000	104	$966	$2,035	$2,381	$4,059	75.37	313.57
733	Lewisburg, TN	12000	129	$985	$2,602	$2,868	$4,876	265.7	301.88
734	Lewiston, ID	36226	129	$1,102	$2,621	$2,627	$4,909	135.11	263.93
735	Lewiston, ME	36226	133	$1,078	$2,636	$2,583	$5,129	122.08	479.15
736	Lewisville, TX	104659	117	$1,013	$2,296	$2,379	$4,811	22.15	420.9
737	Lexington Park, MD	-	138	$1,120	$2,723	$2,580	$5,323	122.78	269.3
738	Lexington, KY	322570	114	$994	$2,235	$2,473	$4,550	24.05	343.1
739	Lexington, MA	322570	129	$904	$2,544	$2,691	$5,006	64.61	287.38
740	Libertyville, IL	20500	132	$987	$2,683	$2,465	$5,005	108.87	669.46
741	Lihue, HI	8000	156	$1,239	$3,090	$3,741	$5,912	24.94	277.69
742	Lima, OH	35868	125	$1,139	$2,450	$2,647	$5,152	74.76	375.45
743	Lincoln, NE	277348	100	$1,031	$1,984	$2,459	$4,211	167.46	393.32
744	Lisle, IL	24223	129	$1,104	$2,603	$2,442	$4,942	73.7	347.39
745	Little Rock, AR	202591	114	$1,049	$2,277	$2,490	$3,974	40.9	320.13
746	Littleton, NH	41737	127	$1,086	$2,575	$2,270	$4,973	69.49	431.02
747	Livermore, CA	86803	175	$1,040	$3,508	$2,694	$8,035	118.07	366.28
748	Livingston, TX	5400	123	$1,033	$2,444	$2,147	$4,687	187.55	115.66
749	Livonia, MI	96736	129	$910	$2,610	$2,610	$4,876	130.1	355.05
750	Lodi, CA	66348	129	$1,049	$2,551	$2,674	$4,927	126.2	322.55

United States Median Internet Speeds (Updated January 2026)

Mobile

Mbps

Fixed Broadband

Mbps

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in United States - Frequently Asked Questions

Affordability across the United States ranges from high-cost metros to more affordable midsize cities and towns. When you compare the Cost of Living in United States, you’ll quickly see housing and transportation dominate the differences, with healthcare and utilities adding nuance. Coastal cities and tech hubs tend to be pricier, while inland regions and college towns offer more breathing room. Your value comes from choosing the right neighborhood, lease length, and season. For digital nomads, consider brief stays in a few areas to test work-life balance, internet reliability, and social scenes. Tip: map a monthly budget by housing, groceries, and transit before you travel.

Day-to-day life varies by city, but some patterns hold. When housing hunting, search by neighborhood rather than building; factor walkability, safety, and commute times. Grocery options range from big-box stores to farmer markets, with regional specialties shaping meals. Public transit works well in many cities, though you may still rely on rideshares or bikes in others. Flexible coworking and coffee spaces help you balance cost and network. For errands, plan a weekly route that minimizes backtracking. United States living cost shifts with the seasons too – summer tourism can spike prices in popular places, while winter can quiet activity in others. Tip: negotiate longer leases to lock in steadier rates.

Build a simple budgeting framework that accounts for housing, utilities, food, transport, and leisure, with room for unexpected costs like healthcare or pet care. Use a core city as your baseline, then compare nearby neighborhoods by rent ranges, commute lengths, and access to amenities. Seasonality matters: some areas price up in summer or during events; others stay steady year-round. Prioritize neighborhoods with good internet, safe outdoor spaces, and a sense of community that fits your pace. For savings, consider long-term rentals, public transit passes, and shared housing or co-living options to reduce costs while keeping flexibility. Tip: try a month-long pilot in a couple of neighborhoods before committing.