Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beverly Hills, CA and Chicago, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Chicago, IL: $3,037 a month against $3,522 in Beverly Hills, CA, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Beverly Hills, CA
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Beverly Hills, CA Living Index
147

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

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Beverly Hills, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,522

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beverly Hills, CA 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 Beverly Hills, CA and in Chicago, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,522 in Beverly Hills, CA versus $3,037 in Chicago, IL.

Beverly Hills, CA $3,522
Chicago, IL $3,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,219 in Beverly Hills, CA versus $4,518 in Chicago, IL.

Beverly Hills, CA $6,219
Chicago, IL $4,518

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,915 in Beverly Hills, CA versus $5,999 in Chicago, IL.

Beverly Hills, CA $8,915
Chicago, IL $5,999

Living in Beverly Hills, CA is roughly 16% more expensive than in Chicago, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Beverly Hills, CA 159% above, Chicago, IL 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.98 $26.98

$20.71 $20.71

30.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$89.2 $89.2

32.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.75 $14.75

$13.19 $13.19

11.83%

Cappuccino

$6.10 $6.10

$5.66 $5.66

7.77%

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

$3.64 $3.64

$2.64 $2.64

37.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.28 $2.28

21.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 $7.81

$6.87 $6.87

13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$8.84 $8.84

12.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.25 $1.25

-17.60%

White Bread (500g)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.72 $3.72

30.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$5.39 $5.39

-13.36%

Eggs

$5.30 $5.30

$4.74 $4.74

11.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$13.84 $13.84

-18.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.18 $16.18

$14.40 $14.40

12.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.28 $19.28

$18.38 $18.38

4.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$5.22 $5.22

0.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.98 $1.98

13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$4.06 $4.06

15.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$4.97 $4.97

13.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.67 $2.67

21.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.66 $2.66

7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.24 $2.24

-10.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.13 $3.13

-20.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$13.82 $13.82

-15.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$14.88 $14.88

-1.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.54 $2.54

20.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.51 $3.51

-20.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 $73.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.18 $3.18

-4.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.39 $1.39

31.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 $32.32

$25.03 $25.03

29.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.20 $1.20

25.83%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$35.0K $35.0K

0.42%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.7K $26.7K

1.87%

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

$125 $125

$194 $194

-35.82%

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

$77.6 $77.6

$69.5 $69.5

11.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.1 $77.1

$61.6 $61.6

25.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.90 $47.90

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 $27.34

Cinema Ticket

$15.28 $15.28

$17.81 $17.81

-14.21%

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

$1,742 $1,742

$1,794 $1,794

-2.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K $32.6K

$31.9K $31.9K

1.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 $73.6

$67.0 $67.0

9.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.08 $49.08

$52.1 $52.1

-5.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 $96.9

$102 $102

-4.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$212 $212

$144 $144

47.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,654 $2,654

$2,526 $2,526

5.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 $2,126

$1,578 $1,578

34.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,348 $6,348

$4,738 $4,738

33.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,541 $5,541

$2,693 $2,693

105.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.81

0.73%

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

Last update for Beverly Hills, CA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beverly Hills, CA

$2.1K 60.4%

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52% 25.8% $548

Groceries & Markets

Beverly Hills, CA

$462 13.1%

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7% 3.1% $14

Eating Out

Beverly Hills, CA

$418 11.9%

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4% 17.4% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beverly Hills, CA

$279 7.9%

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7% 16.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Beverly Hills, CA

$194 5.5%

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4% 15.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Beverly Hills, CA

$31 * 0.9%

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8% 173% $53

Getting Around

Beverly Hills, CA

$12 * 0.4%

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1% 665% $81

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,654 in Beverly Hills, CA and $2,526 in Chicago, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $119 in Beverly Hills, CA vs $89 in Chicago, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $462 vs $447 per month, with Chicago, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Beverly Hills, CA

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

04:14 4:14 AM

2 h ahead of Beverly Hills, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,979

2,746,388

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Beverly Hills, CA Chicago, IL 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Beverly Hills, CA
Chicago, IL

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Beverly Hills, CA vs Chicago, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chicago, IL is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,283 in Beverly Hills, CA and $4,555 in Chicago, IL to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,654 in Beverly Hills, CA versus $2,526 in Chicago, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Beverly Hills, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,522 per month in Beverly Hills, CA versus $3,037 in Chicago, IL – Chicago, IL is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Chicago, IL 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.