The widely circulated picture of external well-being and enviable living standards in the United States does not show the expenditure of the population and the state to ensure it. Skilled American workers can claim high wages, but at the same time, prices in the US in 2024 are not low either. This should be taken into account when planning a trip or moving overseas.
The structure of population expenditures
In recent years, America has seen an increase in consumer activity, but there are fewer and fewer people who regularly save. Basically, Americans spend the money they earn on food, rent, maintenance of the main house, and much less on recreation and other services.
In the general structure, the cost of living in the United States is distributed approximately as follows:
- food – 13.2% (and up to 6% of annual expenses are spent on food outside the home);
- fuel and energy supply for housing – 7.8% (in particular, for refueling a car – up to 4.3%);
- goods for home use – 3.3% (including household appliances);
- clothes and shoes – 3.7%;
- medicines – 1.7%;
- accommodation (including rent) – 32.8%;
- communal services (water supply, sewage, garbage removal) – 1.09%;
- professional medical care – 6.95%;
- moving around the country (vehicle rental and insurance, as well as urban and intercity public transport costs) – 5.9%;
- communication – 3% (Internet – 0.8% and telephone – 2.2%);
- education (services of educational institutions and expenses for textbooks) – 3.9%;
- rest, beauty and entertainment – 4.6%;
- other goods and services – 16%.
This chart does not take into account payroll taxes: progressive income tax, social security contributions, and sales taxes are not typically included in the cost of goods in the US. Withholding can be as much as 40% of the money earned, subject to federal rates and state-by-state fees.
The ratio of income and expenses
There is no legally established concept of living wage in the USA, but this term is used to collect statistical information (in terms of family composition and presence of children). Based on last year’s data, the “fork” of average monthly salaries was: $4,520 for skilled professionals and $1,960 for low-skilled work.
The subsistence minimum for different categories was:
| Type of household | Family expenses, USD/month. | Average income after tax, USD/month. | Ratio to income, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| A single person without children | 900-1,300 | Minimum 1,350 | 67-96 |
| A complete family with 2 children | 1950-2950 | A maximum of 3,050 | 72-97 |
Research on the living wage for different types of families is constantly conducted by the Wageindicator portal. They show that average wages and prices in the U.S. support an average standard of living for a single American or a two-child household, provided both parents work.
Americans spend on food
The US economy demonstrates not only steady GDP growth, but also consistently low inflation rates. Last year, GDP grew by 3.1% by May, and inflation expectations do not exceed 2.45%.
Such indicators have a favorable effect on the purchasing power of the population and the standard of living in the country. And despite all this, a significant part of Americans considers it necessary to plan expenses, save wisely and change eating habits. The latter, however, is often dictated not so much by difficulties in means, but by the desire to lead a healthy lifestyle.
In chain stores, the average prices for food products in the United States practically do not differ according to the territorial principle. The price may vary only for seasonal products (fruits and vegetables).
Farmers’ markets are another matter, they sell only what was grown by the farmers themselves. Unlike small Ukrainian bazaars, in America you cannot save on local products.
Farm products are mostly of higher quality, and if they are also organic (that is, grown without chemicals and pesticides), they can cost two to three times more.
Americans use another way to reduce costs – food coupons (flyers that give the right to receive goods for free or at a deep discount). They are sent by mail or issued when other purchases are made. Such a system of stimulating consumers exists not only in the stores of large retail chains, but also in small local establishments.
The idea of a healthy diet could not displace the habit of eating in public places and fast food from the lives of the US population. And this can happen on a permanent basis.
Daily breakfast in a favorite cafe or lunch in an office building buffet is a completely normal picture for America. Home-made sandwiches from a lunch box are mainly eaten by schoolchildren. Students and the working population also prefer to have breakfast on the run, and a person with a large glass of coffee or a cheeseburger can be found on the street at any moment.
For a foreigner who wants to get a more complete picture of prices overseas, it is not enough to know how much a cup of coffee costs somewhere in Miami. It will be more correct to get acquainted with a wider range of indicators.
For ease of perception and comparison of the cost of living in Ukraine and the USA, it is better to use the current dollar exchange rate.
Eating out
The conventional wisdom that home-cooked food is cheaper and healthier is not always true in America. You can have a dense and relatively healthy meal in the USA in any diner for a few dollars, or you can visit one of the capital’s restaurants with organic food by spending 100 or more dollars.
You can eat out deliciously and inexpensively by visiting one of the many cafes or mobile eateries:
- Street trays and mobile benches: for 3-5 dollars you can get a large burger, hot dogs, a portion of rice with meat or a box of bean balls (falafel), as well as a couple of slices of sliced pizza. Despite constant relocations, each food truck or trailer is attached to a stationary establishment, which has all the conditions for normal cooking and strict quality control.
- “Happy hours” in a regular establishment: most often from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., restaurant owners offer visitors a wide range of dishes at a discount of almost 50%. It is quite possible to chat for a couple of hours and drink beer for only 3-5 dollars.
- All inclusive in the American way: an entrance ticket for 10-15 dollars will allow you to have a good lunch at the buffet, which offers any treat of your choice. The range is so wide that many cannot even try everything that is available.
- Traditional fast food. In addition to the world-famous McDonald’s, Burger King, In-N-Out, KFC, SUBWAY and Pizza Hut operate successfully in the US, and a hearty combo meal will cost $6-9.
- Specialty establishments: everywhere you can find a cafe or a separate menu for vegetarians and vegans or for people with intolerances such as lactose or gluten. Or establishments that prepare dishes prepared exclusively from organic products.
Average prices in US cafes look something like this.
| Type of establishment or lunch format | Average cost, dollars | “Fork” of prices, dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Inexpensive cafe “for locals” | 14 | 10-20 |
| 3-course dinner in a “medium-range” restaurant | 50 | 35-70 |
| Combo menu in a fast food restaurant | 7 | 6-9 |
| A cup of cappuccino | 4 | 3-5 |
| A shot of espresso | 2.5 | 1.8–3 |
The spread of prices is due to the fact that the cost statistics depend on the location. For example, a tourist who wants to know how much it costs to eat in New York, it is better to focus on the upper end of the price spectrum, since the cost of dining in a restaurant in the City is about 25% higher than the average.
Food at home
Due to the fact that obesity remains a problem in America, US residents began to pay more attention to a healthy lifestyle. A special place is occupied by children’s nutrition, so families with a child try to prepare food on their own.
If in Ukraine home cooking is a way to save, then in America this does not always happen. All because prices in US supermarkets for bulk products can be significantly lower than those grown under the Organic brand and considered more healthy and safe.
The title of organic food is given to a plant or animal product not simply because it is grown on private farms. Only manufacturers who have passed strict selection and state certification can afford such an inscription on the sign.
In general, Americans are very pragmatic about making purchases for the family. It is not customary to go shopping here every day: this happens only if something was forgotten or needed urgently and unplanned. Purchases per week are made once, maximum twice every 7 days.
This is also due to the fact that large US grocery stores are located at a decent distance from residential areas, and they can be reached on foot.
Meat and fish
The prices in the meat line practically do not depend on the time of year or the geographical location of the outlet. The price depends only on the quality of the meat itself and the conditions for raising livestock or poultry.
| Name of the product | Price, dollars per unit |
|---|---|
| Beef (meat), 1 kg | 114–19 |
| Minced beef, 1 kg | 4.4–6.2 |
| Pork (meat), 1 kg | 7-8,9 |
| Pork on the bone, 1 kg | 8.6 |
| Bacon, 1 kg | 10.4 |
| Chicken (carcass), 1 kg | 3 |
| Chicken breast (fillet), 1 kg | 7.3–8.6 |
| Chicken thigh, 1 kg | 3.4 |
| Salmon fillet 1 kg | 19 |
| Frozen shrimps, 1 kg | 14 |
| Tilapia, 1 kg of frozen fillet | 10 |
| Canned tuna, 1 kg | 7 |
Fish and seafood in America are not honored (their consumption does not exceed 6 kg per year per capita), but the assortment is not at all similar to the Ukrainian one.
The first lines in the list of the most popular types of seafood are shrimp, salmon, tuna and tilapia. Only artificially grown salmon and tilapia can be found on the counters of retail chains. Therefore, their prices do not change depending on whether the buyers live on the coast or in the depths of the continent.
But such a delicacy as lobster can be found at reasonable prices if you visit the north of the East Coast (for example, Boston in New England) during the period of active fishing. Here you can buy it from 14 dollars per kilogram of a live individual.
Another way to try an expensive delicacy is to buy a lobster roll for $9: McDonalds includes it in its menu during the fishing season.
The cost of fruits, berries and honey
Traditional types of fruits and berries are quite affordable, but more specific blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are 2-3 times more expensive than ordinary strawberries. All because they are grown as an organic product and in small quantities.
| Name of the product | Price, dollars per 1 kg |
|---|---|
| Apples | 2.2–6.6 |
| Bananas | 1.5 |
| Oranges | 4 |
| Grapefruits | 2.2 |
| Lemons | 3.5 |
| Grape | 5 |
| Peach | 3.5 |
| Strawberries | 2-3.5 |
| Cherry | 7.5 |
| Pear | 3.1 |
| Raspberry | 12.5 |
| Lokhina | 12.5 |
| Pineapples | 4.4 |
| Blackberry | 12.5 |
Americans are trying to replace harmful sugar with honey, so they are increasing its imports from other countries. On average, the cost of 1 kg of bee product is 7-9 dollars.
The price of a vegetable basket
Americans began to increasingly refuse to buy vegetables and fruits in supermarket departments. Already 37% of US residents buy them at farmers’ markets. The reason is not even economy – it’s just that in such places the products are fresher and of better quality.
| Name of the product | Price, dollars per 1 kg |
|---|---|
| Potato | 2.5 |
| Tomatoes | 4 |
| Cucumbers | 2.2 |
| Onion | 2.5 |
| Salad | 1.6 |
| Cabbage | 1.6 |
| Broccoli | 3.5 |
| Celery | 2 |
| Pepper is sweet | 5.3 |
| Bean | 3.1 |
Cereals and pasta
In the USA. Most often, the usual cereal can be purchased in “Russian” stores. However, because of this, the shelves of American stores do not seem empty, since the range is represented by many varieties of rice, oatmeal and more exotic names, such as quinoa.
Approximate prices for pasta and cereals are in the following range.
| Name of the product | Price, dollars per 1 kg |
|---|---|
| Flour | 1.1 |
| Fig | 2.2–6.6 |
| Spaghetti | 2.85 |
| Buckwheat | 5.5 |
| Oatmeal | 4.5 |
Other products
In addition to meat, vegetables and cereals, the grocery basket of Americans includes a fairly large list of other products.
| Name of the product | Price in dollars |
|---|---|
| Bread without additives, loaf 0.5 kg | 2.6 |
| Chicken eggs, 12 pcs | 2.3 |
| Cheese from local producers, 1 kg | 10.5 |
| Milk, 1 liter | 0.8 |
| Sugar, 1 kg | 1.6 |
| Yogurt, 1 jar | 1 |
| Salt, 1 kg | 1.5 |
| Flakes, 1 kg | 7-9 |
| Vegetable oil, 1 liter | 1.6 |
| Butter, 1 kg | 11-14 |
| Sir, 1 kg | 6 |
| Sausage, 1 kg | 10-32 |
Cost of drinks
Many immigrants, coming to the United States, cannot get used to seemingly familiar products. Yes, many people note that American juices are sweeter and more diluted with water, and local “light” beer has no taste at all.
Instead, in the USA, in the sunny state of California , they produce their own wine, acceptable in terms of price and quality. The average price of drinks is as follows.
| Name of the product | Price in dollars for 1 liter |
|---|---|
| The water is drinkable | 1.2 |
| Local beer | 8 |
| Imported beer | 18 |
| Brewed coffee, 1 kg | 14 |
| Packed tea, 15-20 pcs. | 3 |
| The wine is dry | 9-17 |
| “Coca Cola” | 3.3 |
It is not easy to find brewed tea in the USA – Americans prefer to produce and consume single servings in individual packaging.
Prices for strong alcohol and cigarettes
It should be remembered that you can not buy alcohol in every store and even in a large supermarket. Most often, it is sold in a specialized store (liquor stores), issued a license for retail sale.
In addition, every cafe has a permit to sell alcohol. Such establishments offer visitors to bring a bottle of wine or something stronger with them. This opportunity is announced by the inscription at the entrance: Bring Your Own Bottle, or BYOB.
| Name of the product | Price in dollars for a 0.75 liter bottle |
|---|---|
| Whiskey | 19 |
| Bacardi Rum | 8 |
| Other drinks with a fortress of 25-35 revolutions | 15 |
| Aged tequila | to 30 |
| Cigarettes, in a pack of 20 pcs | 6-9.5 |
In the United States, a customer under the age of 21 will not be able to purchase any alcoholic beverage. In addition, specialized stores are open until 22.00, maximum until 24.00.
Prices for a non-product set
In addition to food, sooner or later you will have to spend on new clothes, shoes and other household items. If you do not take into account the goods of fashionable global brands, the cost of a new wardrobe is quite acceptable even for people with a low income.
Plus, US residents know where and when the sales are. Shopping may not be the latest in fashion, but participating in such events allows you to save from 10 to 70% of the original cost.
Traditional price reductions occur before Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Labor Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.
In addition to festive occasions, there is also “Black” Friday (on one of the days from November 23 to 29), Cyber Monday (follows immediately after Friday and is organized mainly by online stores), as well as half-yearly sales in the middle of summer .
Updating the wardrobe
Going shopping for women’s clothes, if they are not brand boutiques, will not ruin a woman and will not make her family starve. For a reference point, you can use the averaged indicators of how much clothes cost in the USA.
| Name of the product | Price in dollars per unit |
|---|---|
| Summer dress | 20-50 |
| Blouse for the office | 30 |
| Jacket | 30-70 |
| Heeled shoes | 75 |
| Branded jeans (Levis and similar) | 30-60 |
| Knitted T-shirt | 12 |
| Paita | 45 |
| Light shoes without heels | 18 |
It will cost a little more to dress a man or a boy.
| Name of the product | Price in dollars per unit |
|---|---|
| Classic trousers | 50 |
| Jacket | 150 |
| Shirt | 35 |
| T-shirt | 18 |
| Light sweater | 60 |
| Demi-season jacket | 100 |
| Leather shoes | 60-150 |
| Sneakers (Nike and similar from the average price of the model range) | 50-100 |
Children’s wardrobe items cost significantly less. However, children cannot wear new clothes for years for objective reasons (they grow quickly), so the cost of clothes for babies in the family budget increases with inevitable regularity.
| Name of the product | Price in dollars per unit |
|---|---|
| Cotton clothes for newborns (bodies, blinds, etc.) | 2-10 |
| Summer suit for a preschooler | 10 |
| Elegant dress for a girl 2-4 years old | 16-30 |
| Shoes for a child up to 7 years old | 20-30 |
Clothes for schoolchildren, and even more so for teenagers aged 13-15, can be close to adult clothes in terms of cost. In this case, everything will depend on the physique and height of the child.
Furniture and other household items
Furnished housing is not often rented out in America. It happens that the new apartment will not even have a refrigerator, let alone a washing machine and a microwave oven.
But for those who did not start transporting their native furniture to the USA, purchasing furniture will not be a problem. Budget solutions from IKEA have long mastered overseas territories: 51 stores operate in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and other cities.
The popularity of this chain of stores is ensured not only by reasonable prices (the cost of a small dresser starts at $200) and collection and delivery services (from $10). It is quite easy to resell the ready-made furniture of the room, which is already in use, to another owner through specialized sites of private ads or advertisements in newspapers.
In addition to furniture, a new apartment needs other household items. From the point of view of price, the average buyer will find the closest points of one of the retail chains: Target, Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond.
Important items of expenditure
The minimum cost of living in the USA is different for single citizens and families with children. The list of main expenses for a couple with 2 kids looks like this.
| Article of expenditure | Amount in dollars |
|---|---|
| Food | 1000 |
| Housing fees (rental payments) | from 1,000-1,200 |
| Utility payments | 152 |
| Transport costs | 120 |
| Medical care | 250 |
| Expenses for education and maintenance of children | 880 |
| Communication and Internet | 120 |
Withholding from wages in the form of taxes
Unpleasant news for new residents of the USA will be a multi-level system of income taxation (federal level, within the state and municipality). This is expressed in the fact that at least two types of personal income tax will be withheld from earnings.
The scale of income tax rates is progressive, so the amount of obligations will depend on the amount of annual income.
In a generalized form, the list of payments to the country’s budget will look like this:
- Personal income tax – from 10 to 37% to the federal treasury plus contributions to the state (up to 13.3%);
- pension fees – 6.2%;
- health insurance – 1.45%.
Sales taxes indirectly reduce the income of the population. Rates vary by state (up to 7.25% of the amount listed on the price tag) plus a percentage set by each city (up to 5.14%).
This also includes property owner fees: on average, Americans who own property pay $1,556 a year.
Housing and real estate purchase expenses
Living in America will not be cheap either for tourists or for those who came on the PMP . How much it costs to rent housing in America depends on where a potential American will live.
The average prices for renting a bed or separate apartments look like this.
| Type of housing | Amount in dollars |
|---|---|
| A bed in an 8-person room | 41 |
| Double room in the hostel | 80 |
| Standard room in a 3*-4* hotel | 150 |
| Daily apartment rent | 95 |
| Long-term lease of an apartment of 85 square meters. cm (a month or more) | 1200-2100 per month |
Even if an immigrant is morally ready to become the owner of their own real estate, the housing prices in the United States can cool the unfounded optimism and make them work even harder. It helps a little that the mortgage rate here is not as high as in Ukraine: an average of 4.36% per annum for a 20-year loan.
- An apartment in the city center – $2,500 per 1 sq.m. m;
- Apartment on the outskirts – $1,850 for 1 sq.m. m.
The prices shown are average. In a metropolis like New York, a square meter can cost $6,000 or more.
Utilities in America
The cost of utility services in America is on average $152 per month (ranging from $86 to $250), excluding communication and Internet services, and seems high for a Ukrainian consumer. However, according to statistics, it does not exceed 7% of income.
There are no fixed rates for electricity and gas services in America. For example, each state has its own tariff for electricity: from 9.72 to 23.35 cents per kWh. The national average for the residential sector is 13.26 cents per kWh.
In particular, prices for utility services in the USA are distributed as follows.
| Type of service | Price per month in dollars |
|---|---|
| Water supply | 50 |
| Electricity | 50-100 |
| Gas and heating (in cold months) | 40-100 |
| Garbage removal | 10-40 |
The total consumption of electricity is higher than in Ukraine, due to the use of a large number of household appliances (washing machines, dryers and dishwashers, microwave ovens, air conditioners and external lighting of buildings).
Fees for almost all services are calculated according to the data of individual meters, which, if desired, allows serious savings. Electricity meters are able, for example, to transmit readings online, and the consumer can monitor the consumption of kW on the company’s website every minute.
Communication and travel expenses
Transport and communication costs are considered essential items of the family budget. In particular, you can move around the city and the country with your own car or public transport.
| Article of expenditure | Amount in dollars |
|---|---|
| One-time travel in public transport | 2.5 |
| Monthly pass | 70 |
| Travel by taxi, 1 km | 1.7 |
| Buying a budget-class car | 20,000 |
| Gasoline, 1 liter | 0.79 |
The stated fuel price may vary from state to state. For example, the cost of gasoline in New York has gradually decreased since January, but still remains well above the national average. You will have to pay about 0.83 dollars for a liter of gasoline, while in Dallas you can fill up for 0.71 dollars/liter. And yet the prices remain the highest in San Francisco: here the price tags at the gas station have “broken through” the one-dollar mark and show $1.08/liter.
For those who do not like to travel, there is another way to maintain active communication – mobile communication and the Internet. In America, this pleasure is not cheap either.
| Type of service | Price per month, in dollars |
|---|---|
| High-speed Internet, unlimited access (up to 60 Mbit/s) | 60 |
| Landline phone | 10 |
| Mobile communication (with Internet access/ without access) | 50/25 |
| Cable TV (no additional channels) | 30 |
A smartphone has become an indispensable accessory for a modern man, especially if his lifestyle forces him to be constantly online. In recent years, Apple products have become iconic. But despite the fact that the USA is the homeland of these gadgets, their prices “bite” here as well: the iPhone X model costs from $750 to $1,100 per piece.
Cost of other services
Housing and food costs take the lion’s share of the money earned, but under certain circumstances considerable funds can be spent on treatment (if there is no insurance) and education of a family member.
If the insurance does not cover the entire cost of the provided medical services or, for some reason, it is not there at all, the doctors will have to give the whole fortune:
- appointment with a therapist – 450 dollars (for insurance – 30 dollars);
- providing emergency (non-operative) care – $3,500-$6,500 for several hours in a hospital (under insurance – $150);
- uncomplicated childbirth – $10,000 (for insurance – $250);
- professional examination by a pediatrician – 150 dollars (for insurance – 30 dollars);
- the operation can cost several tens of thousands of dollars.
In the country, there is no unified approach to pricing services of doctors and medical institutions, so ordinary patients are unable to explain such high prices.
Another thing is that, even if the patient does not have insurance, they do not have the right to deny him medical care. They are obliged to help regardless of their financial situation, and the issue of reimbursement will be decided in court later.
Things are not better with the prices of education. Depending on the reputation of the educational institution and the level of its accreditation, the cost of one year of study can be:
- college tuition – an average of $2,500;
- obtaining a bachelor’s degree – $15,000-35,000, and at such as Harvard – up to $50,000;
- master’s degree – $28,500 in public universities, $38,500 in private ones.
Conclusion
It is uninformative to compare prices in Ukraine and the USA without taking into account the difference in income levels in these countries. The percentage ratio of these indicators will tell more. But even from this point of view, the structure of costs and the possibility of accumulating savings for Americans are economically more attractive. Although it is worth noting that some services (for example, cellular communication or Internet access) are much cheaper than in America.