Cost of Living Comparison Between Berkeley, CA and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Berkeley, CA and Chicago, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: Berkeley, CA is 1.8% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 31.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Berkeley, CA is 14.8% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 19.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.11 $22.11

$20.82 $20.82

6.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

0.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 $11.34

$11.97 $11.97

-5.26%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$5.56 $5.56

7.19%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$3.11 $3.11

4.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.42 $2.42

6.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 $7.81

$6.86 $6.86

13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.18 $9.18

$8.45 $8.45

8.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.04 $1.04

45.19%

White Bread (500g)

$4.84 $4.84

$4.15 $4.15

16.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.4 $6.4

$5.52 $5.52

15.94%

Eggs

$4.99 $4.99

$4.65 $4.65

7.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 $21.54

$14.33 $14.33

50.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$14.88 $14.88

2.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.02 $23.02

$19.34 $19.34

19.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$5.17 $5.17

20.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.71 $1.71

57.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.41 $4.41

12.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.51 $4.51

53.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.53 $2.53

43.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.74 $2.74

45.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.43 $2.43

18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.7 $2.7

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.23 $12.23

$15.19 $15.19

-19.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.64 $17.64

$16.42 $16.42

7.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.7 $3.7

-12.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.53 $2.53

0.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 $86.2

$74.1 $74.1

16.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.34 $3.34

6.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.42 $1.42

36.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.55 $29.55

$25.42 $25.42

16.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.08 $1.08

17.59%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$32.4K $32.4K

-6.78%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.2K $26.2K

3.19%

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

$220 $220

$188 $188

17.12%

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

$48.14 $48.14

$63.7 $63.7

-24.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67 $67

$65.2 $65.2

2.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 $69.7

$76.7 $76.7

-9.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.19 $7.19

$13.03 $13.03

-44.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.54 $15.54

$14.93 $14.93

4.09%

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

$2,142 $2,142

$2,063 $2,063

3.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$39.2K $39.2K

-19.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 $67.4

$64.3 $64.3

4.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.74 $46.74

$52.4 $52.4

-10.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$95.2 $95.2

8.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$145 $145

2.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,253 $2,253

$2,378 $2,378

-5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,295 $2,295

$1,584 $1,584

44.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,750 $4,750

$4,763 $4,763

-0.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,897 $3,897

$2,815 $2,815

38.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,092 $8,092

$3,588 $3,588

125.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,148 $8,148

$2,490 $2,490

227.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,617 $6,617

$5,275 $5,275

25.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.6

-1.36%

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

Last update for Berkeley, CA: October 26, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

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