How much does it cost to live in the USA: housing, food, entertainment and other expenses
Project Expatistan has prepared an interesting collection of data on the cost of living in the United States - both for a family and for an individual.
According to this project, the estimated monthly cost for a family of four in the United States is $ 4610. If we are talking about one person without a family, then his expenses are limited on average to $ 2626. At the same time, it is noted that the cost of living in the United States is more expensive than in 82% of countries of the world (15 out of 76).
The most expensive cities
The researchers calculated the so-called price index for cities around the world by comparing it with a standard (in this case, Prague). This city is assigned a value of 100. The price index value of each city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living with the cost of living in Prague. Therefore, if a city has a price index of 134, this means that living there is 34% more expensive than Prague.
Top 10 most expensive cities in the USA
1. Babylon, New York - 249
2. Nantucket - 244
3. New York (city) - 241
4. Mountain View, California - 240
5. San Francisco, California - 233
6. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - 228
7. Walnut Creek, California - 221
8. Jersey City, New Jersey - 220
9. Berkeley, California - 219
10. Washington, DC - 215.
Other major cities include:
13. Boston, Massachusetts - 199
15. Los Angeles, California - 196
17. Chicago, IL - 189
21. Seattle, Washington - 184
27. Miami, Florida - 180
29. Portland, Oregon - 176
34. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 163
36. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 159
39. Austin, Texas - 157
67. Detroit, Michigan - 140
The least expensive place to live in the list of 103 US cities that participated in the study was Springfield, Missouri, at 103rd place with an index of 112.
On the subject: Which US states should Russian-speaking immigrants not move to
Food, clothing, and other basic expenses in the United States
Food
- Basic lunch (including drinks) in the business district - $15
- Combo meal at a fast food restaurant (such as the Big Mac® Menu) – $8
- 500g boneless chicken breast - $4,24
- 1 liter (1 quart) whole milk - $0,88
- 12 large eggs - $2,99
- 1 kg (2 lb) tomatoes - $4,08
- 500 g local cheese – $6
- 1 kg (2 lb) apples - $3,27
- 1 kg (2 lb) potatoes - $1,63
- 0,5 liters of local beer in a supermarket - $3,12
- 1 bottle of good quality red table wine – $15
- 2 liters of Coca-Cola - $1,99
- Bread for 2 people for 1 day - $2,00
Accomodation
- Monthly rent for 85 sq m (900 sq ft) furnished home in an expensive area - $2239
- Monthly rent for 85 sq m (900 sq ft) furnished home in a typical area - $1576
- Utilities for 1 month (heating, electricity, gas, etc.) for 2 people in an apartment of 85 sq. m - $176
- Monthly rent for a 45 sq m (480 sq ft) furnished studio in an expensive area - $1574
- Monthly rent for a 45 sq m (480 sq ft) furnished studio in a regular area is $1131
- 1 month of utilities (heat, electricity, gas, etc.) for 1 person in a 45 sq m (480 sq ft) studio - $109
- Internet 8 Mbit/s (1 month) – $47
- 40-inch flat screen TV - $273
- Microwave oven 800/900 W (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp or similar brand) - $124
- Washing powder (3 liters ~ 100 ounces) – $11
- Hourly cleaning help - $21
Apparel
- 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) - $48
- 1 summer dress at Zara, H&M or similar – $44
- 1 pair of sports shoes (Nike, Adidas or similar brands) - $87
- 1 pair of men's leather business shoes - $109
Transport
- Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), without additional services, new - $23
- 1 liter (1/4 gallon) gasoline - $0,67
- Monthly public transport pass – $77
On the subject: 15 significant disadvantages of living in the United States, according to a Russian-speaking immigrant
Personal hygiene
- Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Coldrex or similar brands) - $7
- 1 box of antibiotic (12 doses) – $18
- Short visit to a private doctor (15 minutes) - $111
- 1 pack of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, etc.) - $7
- Roll-on deodorant (50 ml ~ 1,5 oz) - $3,46
- 2-in-1 Shampoo (400ml ~ 12oz) – $5,06
- 4 rolls of toilet paper - $3,64
- Tube of Toothpaste - $1,81
- Standard men's haircut in immigrant area - $21
Entertainment
- Basic dinner for two at a nearby pub - $45
- 2 movie tickets - $25
- 2 theater tickets (best available seats) - $222
- Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in an immigrant area, including appetizers, main course, wine and dessert - $80.
- 1 cocktail at a club in the city center - $12
- Cappuccino in the emigrant district of the city - $4,94
- 1 beer at your neighborhood pub (500ml or 1 pint) - $5,86
- IPad wi-fi 128 GB – $402
- 1 minute of prepaid mobile data (no discounts or plans) - $0,40
- 1 month gym membership in business district - $53
- 1 pack of Marlboro cigarettes – $8
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