Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ann Arbor, MI and Chicago, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Ann Arbor, MI: $2,750 a month against $3,139 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Ann Arbor, MI
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Ann Arbor, MI Living Index
152

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index

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Ann Arbor, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,750

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ann Arbor, MI and in Chicago, IL

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ann Arbor, MI and in Chicago, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,750 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $3,139 in Chicago, IL.

Ann Arbor, MI $2,750
Chicago, IL $3,139

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,198 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $4,627 in Chicago, IL.

Ann Arbor, MI $4,198
Chicago, IL $4,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,646 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $6,115 in Chicago, IL.

Ann Arbor, MI $5,646
Chicago, IL $6,115

Living in Ann Arbor, MI costs roughly 12% less than in Chicago, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ann Arbor, MI 103% above, Chicago, IL 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.66 $18.66

$20.65 $20.65

-9.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.3 $59.3

$90.2 $90.2

-34.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 $11.76

$12.94 $12.94

-9.12%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$5.60 $5.60

-7.50%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.64 $2.64

9.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.27 $2.27

-7.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 $6.47

$6.98 $6.98

-7.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$8.83 $8.83

-7.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.27 $1.27

-22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.80 $3.80

0.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$5.30 $5.30

-7.92%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$4.76 $4.76

-19.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.36 $19.36

$13.96 $13.96

38.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$14.61 $14.61

-10.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 $14.93

$18.77 $18.77

-20.46%

Apples (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$5.19 $5.19

33.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.98 $1.98

-6.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.93 $3.93

-3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$4.96 $4.96

-9.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.76 $2.76

-13.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.76 $2.76

3.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.22 $2.22

13.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.98 $2.98

-32.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 $10.32

$14.02 $14.02

-26.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.09 $15.09

$15.28 $15.28

-1.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.58 $2.58

-15.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.50 $3.50

8.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.47 $2.47

-27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.62 $45.62

$74.8 $74.8

-38.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.34 $3.34

-12.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.43 $1.43

5.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.09 $26.09

$24.32 $24.32

7.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.26 $1.26

-15.87%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.6K $29.6K

$35.0K $35.0K

-15.44%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.1K $26.1K

0.53%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$201 $201

$193 $193

4.29%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.9 $58.9

$68.3 $68.3

-13.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.0 $73.0

$61.3 $61.3

19.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.2 $63.2

$54.1 $54.1

16.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 $19.46

$27.92 $27.92

-30.30%

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 $13.22

$17.74 $17.74

-25.48%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,999 $1,999

$1,652 $1,652

21.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$31.1K $31.1K

-36.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$66.1 $66.1

-15.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.52 $44.52

$51.2 $51.2

-13.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$100 $100

12.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$141 $141

-24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 $2,077

$2,446 $2,446

-15.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 $1,375

$1,678 $1,678

-18.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,811 $3,811

$4,717 $4,717

-19.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 $2,692

$2,795 $2,795

-3.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,516 $5,516

$4,105 $4,105

34.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,597 $2,597

$2,650 $2,650

-2.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,148 $5,148

$4,866 $4,866

5.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.81

-3.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ann Arbor, MI: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ann Arbor, MI

$1.4K 50%

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53.5% 22% $303

Groceries & Markets

Ann Arbor, MI

$430 15.7%

Chicago, IL

$449 14.3% 4.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ann Arbor, MI

$333 12.1%

Chicago, IL

$322 10.3% 3.2% $11

Eating Out

Ann Arbor, MI

$315 11.5%

Chicago, IL

$343 10.9% 8.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Ann Arbor, MI

$144 5.2%

Chicago, IL

$161 5.1% 12.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ann Arbor, MI

$90 3.3%

Chicago, IL

$90 2.9% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Ann Arbor, MI

$63 2.3%

Chicago, IL

$95 3% 50.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,077 in Ann Arbor, MI and $2,446 in Chicago, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ann Arbor, MI pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Ann Arbor, MI vs $90.0 in Chicago, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $449 per month, with Ann Arbor, MI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ann Arbor, MI

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h behind Ann Arbor, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,851

2,746,388

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ann Arbor, MI Chicago, IL 320 km

From you

Ann Arbor, MI
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ann Arbor, MI vs Chicago, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ann Arbor, MI and Chicago, IL differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,750 vs $3,139 including rent). Ann Arbor, MI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Ann Arbor, MI, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,077 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $2,446 in Chicago, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ann Arbor, MI – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $90.0 in Chicago, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,750 per month in Ann Arbor, MI versus $3,139 in Chicago, IL – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Ann Arbor, MI is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ann Arbor, MI and Chicago, IL are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ann Arbor, MI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Chicago, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.