Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Chicago, IL

😐 Solo nomad: Arlington, VA is 8.9% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 18.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Arlington, VA is 7.1% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 15.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.54 $24.54

$20.82 $20.82

17.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 $88.5

$100 $100

-11.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$11.97 $11.97

-1.09%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$5.56 $5.56

-2.70%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$3.11 $3.11

-5.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.5 $2.5

$2.42 $2.42

3.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 $8.02

$6.86 $6.86

16.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$8.45 $8.45

4.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.04 $1.04

19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$4.1 $4.1

$4.15 $4.15

-1.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.52 $5.52

23.37%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.65 $4.65

-7.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.79 $17.79

$14.33 $14.33

24.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.75 $14.75

$14.88 $14.88

-0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.38 $21.38

$19.34 $19.34

10.55%

Apples (1kg)

$6.26 $6.26

$5.17 $5.17

21.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.71 $1.71

20.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$4.41 $4.41

18.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$4.51 $4.51

26.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.53 $2.53

35.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.74 $2.74

23.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.43 $2.43

9.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.7 $2.7

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.3 $12.3

$15.19 $15.19

-19.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.17 $17.17

$16.42 $16.42

4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.35 $2.35

-13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.7 $3.7

15.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.53 $2.53

35.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$125 $125

$74.1 $74.1

68.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.34 $3.34

-9.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.42 $1.42

11.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.75 $21.75

$25.42 $25.42

-14.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.08 $1.08

-15.74%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$32.4K $32.4K

-8.84%

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

$26K $26K

$26.2K $26.2K

-0.71%

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

$205 $205

$188 $188

8.75%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$63.7 $63.7

-6.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$65.2 $65.2

7.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

-0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.96 $23.96

$13.03 $13.03

83.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$14.93 $14.93

-0.60%

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

$2,074 $2,074

$2,063 $2,063

0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.4K $39.4K

$39.2K $39.2K

0.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 $55.9

$64.3 $64.3

-13.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.48 $49.48

$52.4 $52.4

-5.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 $92.6

$95.2 $95.2

-2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$145 $145

-2.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 $2,473

$2,378 $2,378

4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 $1,930

$1,584 $1,584

21.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,350 $4,350

$4,763 $4,763

-8.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,575 $3,575

$2,815 $2,815

27.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,644 $4,644

$3,588 $3,588

29.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,073 $4,073

$2,490 $2,490

63.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,454 $6,454

$5,275 $5,275

22.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

6.6

-0.76%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Denmark

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

Washington, DC

🇺🇸 United States

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States