Travel budget and cost of living in California how much does a trip cost?
Are you planning to go to California and need to budget for your trip? On this page you can see sample prices. This enables you to get to grips with actual prices and the cost of living in California. Then, why not use our free tool to calculate your California travel budget.
Travel budget in California
California: calculate your travel budget
California: sample budgets by traveller type
These example budgets assume a 2-week holiday in California for 2 people.
Low budget
(backpacker)
Daily budget:
- $ 112 for 2 ppl.
- $ 21 per person
- $ 6.7 per person
- Free activities
Total budget:
$ 2332*
Average budget
(traveller)
Daily budget:
- $ 198 for 2 ppl.
- $ 57 per person
- $ 15 per person
- $ 18 per person
Total budget:
$ 5265*
High budget
(tourist)
Daily budget:
- $ 289 for 2 ppl.
- $ 102 per person
- $ 31 per person
- $ 36 per person
Total budget:
$ 8730*
* Estimated local budget for 2 people for 2 weeks. This represents an average across the country (budget may vary depending on the city or region visited).
Cost of living in California in 2025
Cost of living: California VS United States
On average, the cost of living in California in 2025 is 7% higher than in the United States (USA).
The graphic below shows the percentage of variation between prices United States in in the United States (USA) and United States by types of expenses:
Explore each type of expense in detail:
Local prices in California by expense type
California: Restaurant budget
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($ 16 to $ 49)
25% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 37 to $ 84)
47% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 11 to $ 15)
9% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 5.9 to $ 12)
33% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 1.6 to $ 6.8)
19% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 3.9 to $ 7.8)
5% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 2 to $ 3.9)
16% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 1.5 to $ 2.9)
9% more than in the United States (USA)
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California: Hotel and accommodation budget
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($ 70 to $ 494)
3% less than in the United States (USA)
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($ 66 to $ 485)
5% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 96 to $ 648)
8% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 149 to $ 910)
10% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 260 to $ 1194)
13% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 72 to $ 558)
9% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 94 to $ 904)
11% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 76 to $ 717)
7% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 146 to $ 546)
10% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 81 to $ 714)
9% more than in the United States (USA)
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California: Supermarket food budget
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($ 0.7 to $ 2)
15% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 2.2 to $ 8.6)
39% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 2.2 to $ 8.6)
18% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 2.4 to $ 7.7)
29% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 8.6 to $ 23)
34% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 2.7 to $ 10)
14% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 2.1 to $ 8.6)
2% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 1 to $ 6.5)
1% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 1.3 to $ 3.9)
0% less than in the United States (USA)
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California: Public and private transport budget
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($ 1.7 to $ 2.7)
30% less than in the United States (USA)
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($ 1.7 to $ 3.7)
3% less than in the United States (USA)
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($ 1.2 to $ 1.6)
38% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 3 to $ 6.8)
16% less than in the United States (USA)
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($ 31 to $ 226)
0% less than in the United States (USA)
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California: Leisure activity budget
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($ 15 to $ 23)
29% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 8.9 to $ 15)
56% less than in the United States (USA)
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California: Budget for clothes and price of cigarettes
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($ 10 to $ 14)
20% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 30 to $ 95)
12% more than in the United States (USA)
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($ 26 to $ 59)
0% less than in the United States (USA)
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Plane ticket budget
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(fair price: $ 1122)
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(fair price: $ 934)
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(fair price: $ 287)
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(fair price: $ 1098)
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(fair price: $ 403)
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(fair price: $ 1187)
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(fair price: $ 1081)
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(fair price: $ 1268)
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(fair price: $ 240)
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(fair price: $ 164)
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(fair price: $ 284)
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(fair price: $ 313)
About the information on the cost of living in California
The information about the cost of living in California shown on this page comes from multiple sources, including : Numbeo, Skyscanner and Hotels.com.
Information about cost of living in California updated on 08-11-2024.