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:
- $ 127 for 2 ppl.
- $ 21 per person
- $ 8.1 per person
- Free activities
Total budget:
$ 2575*
Average budget
(traveller)
Daily budget:
- $ 220 for 2 ppl.
- $ 56 per person
- $ 18 per person
- $ 17 per person
Total budget:
$ 5610*
High budget
(tourist)
Daily budget:
- $ 340 for 2 ppl.
- $ 104 per person
- $ 35 per person
- $ 34 per person
Total budget:
$ 9571*
* 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 2023
Cost of living: California VS United States
On average, the cost of living in California in 2023 is 14% 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:
Cost of living in California by city
See the table below for the variation in the cost of living in different cities in California compared to the national average.
Cities | /California | View Details |
---|---|---|
Santa Monica | 36% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Santa Monica |
Santa Cruz California | 32% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Santa Cruz California |
San Diego | 22% more | Travel budget and cost of living in San Diego |
San Francisco | 22% more | Travel budget and cost of living in San Francisco |
Santa Barbara | 19% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Santa Barbara |
Hollywood | 16% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Hollywood |
Palm Springs | 4% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Palm Springs |
Los Angeles | 1% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Los Angeles |
Local prices in California by expense type
California: Restaurant budget

($ 15 to $ 46)
12% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 34 to $ 84)
41% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 10 to $ 14)
1% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 6.1 to $ 12)
61% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.7 to $ 6.7)
1% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 4.4 to $ 7.8)
13% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 2.3 to $ 4.4)
19% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 2 to $ 4.4)
24% more than in the United States (USA)

California: Hotel and accommodation budget

($ 115 to $ 171)
11% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 113 to $ 298)
22% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 181 to $ 403)
27% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 290 to $ 622)
37% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 586 to $ 1275)
29% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 122 to $ 183)
13% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 195 to $ 406)
40% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 159 to $ 469)
47% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 235 to $ 423)
27% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 185 to $ 514)
54% more than in the United States (USA)

California: Supermarket food budget

($ 0.8 to $ 2)
17% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 2.4 to $ 8.8)
21% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 2.5 to $ 12)
30% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 2.3 to $ 8.1)
19% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 5.5 to $ 23)
6% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.9 to $ 7.3)
10% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.9 to $ 9)
9% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.2 to $ 4.9)
1% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.1 to $ 4.4)
11% more than in the United States (USA)

California: Public and private transport budget

($ 1.9 to $ 3.3)
24% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.9 to $ 4.2)
3% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 1.8)
37% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 3.3 to $ 7.8)
15% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 11 to $ 103)
3% less than in the United States (USA)

California: Leisure activity budget

($ 16 to $ 23)
26% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 12 to $ 23)
43% less than in the United States (USA)

California: Budget for clothes and price of cigarettes

($ 8.8 to $ 15)
23% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 40 to $ 94)
33% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 23 to $ 84)
12% more than in the United States (USA)

Plane ticket budget

(fair price: $ 578)

(fair price: $ 548)

(fair price: $ 1054)

(fair price: $ 617)

(fair price: $ 279)

(fair price: $ 273)

(fair price: $ 487)

(fair price: $ 521)

(fair price: $ 419)

(fair price: $ 691)

(fair price: $ 256)

(fair price: $ 410)
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, Easyvoyage and Hotels.com.
Information about cost of living in California updated on 26-03-2023.
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