Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Washington, DC 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Washington, DC are 16.3% higher than in Arlington, VA (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Washington, DC are 15.4% higher than in Arlington, VA
Rent Prices in Washington, DC are 14.3% higher than in Arlington, VA
Restaurant Prices in Washington, DC are 25.0% higher than in Arlington, VA
Groceries Prices in Washington, DC are 10.4% higher than in Arlington, VA
Local Purchasing Power in Washington, DC is 12.3% higher than in Arlington, VA
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 17.00 $ 21.00 $      +23.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $ 100.00 $      +33.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 9.00 $ 10.25 $      +13.9 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $ 8.00 $      +33.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 9.00 $      +12.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 4.73 $ 5.42 $      +14.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.46 $ 2.53 $      +2.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.71 $ 2.33 $      +36.4 %
Markets
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.78 $ 4.18 $      -12.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.67 $ 3.43 $      -6.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.07 $ 2.26 $      +9.2 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.40 $ 4.17 $      -5.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 7.54 $ 6.56 $      -13.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.05 $ 5.61 $      -7.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.09 $ 7.86 $      +10.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.25 $ 2.45 $      +9.2 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.72 $ 1.10 $      +53.0 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.50 $ 2.63 $      +75.9 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.59 $ 2.69 $      +4.1 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.13 $ 1.57 $      +39.6 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.44 $ 1.40 $      -2.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.03 $ 2.85 $      -5.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.92 $ 2.55 $      +33.0 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 15.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.73 $ 2.51 $      +45.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.74 $ 4.77 $      +27.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 8.00 $ 11.00 $      +37.5 %
Transportation
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.25 $ 2.75 $      +22.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 90.00 $ 95.00 $      +5.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 $ 4.00 $      +33.3 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.16 $ 2.75 $      +27.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 25.00 $ 30.00 $      +20.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.53 $ 3.80 $      +7.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 19,500.00 $ 25,000.00 $      +28.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 24,687.50 $ 25,407.00 $      +2.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 177.60 $ 169.58 $      -4.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 43.00 $ 51.18 $      +19.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 58.75 $ 58.01 $      -1.3 %
Sports And Leisure
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 70.00 $ 103.18 $      +47.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 10.00 $ 22.79 $      +127.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.00 $ 15.00 $      +7.1 %
Childcare
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,378.57 $ 2,419.25 $      +75.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 27,000.00 $ 29,500.00 $      +9.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 46.67 $ 62.71 $      +34.4 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 33.33 $ 39.99 $      +20.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 82.71 $ 106.32 $      +28.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 110.42 $ 169.15 $      +53.2 %
Rent Per Month
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,650.00 $ 2,566.67 $      -3.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,951.25 $ 1,964.33 $      +0.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,850.00 $ 5,365.62 $      +39.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,500.00 $ 3,763.46 $      +7.5 %
Buy Apartment Price
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 626.33 $ 782.01 $      +24.9 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 427.50 $ 506.43 $      +18.5 %
Salaries And Financing
Arlington, VA Edit Washington, DC Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,797.88 $ 6,219.07 $      +29.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.34 6.60      +4.1 %
Last update: September 2023September 2023
Contributors in the past 12 months:45186