Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Brentwood, CA: $2,609 a month against $3,139 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood, CA
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Brentwood, CA Living Index
152

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

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Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Brentwood, CA versus $3,139 in Chicago, IL.

Brentwood, CA $2,609
Chicago, IL $3,139

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,005 in Brentwood, CA versus $4,627 in Chicago, IL.

Brentwood, CA $4,005
Chicago, IL $4,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,401 in Brentwood, CA versus $6,115 in Chicago, IL.

Brentwood, CA $5,401
Chicago, IL $6,115

Living in Brentwood, CA costs roughly 17% less than in Chicago, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brentwood, CA 93% above, Chicago, IL 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$20.65 $20.65

21.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 $112

$90.2 $90.2

23.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.94 $12.94

16.54%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$5.60 $5.60

-0.18%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$2.64 $2.64

15.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.27 $2.27

9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.91 $8.91

$6.98 $6.98

27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$8.83 $8.83

-11.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.27 $1.27

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.80 $3.80

13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$5.30 $5.30

-10.38%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$4.76 $4.76

13.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.69 $24.69

$13.96 $13.96

76.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$14.61 $14.61

-19.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$18.77 $18.77

-29.83%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$5.19 $5.19

4.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.98 $1.98

54.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$3.93 $3.93

20.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.96 $4.96

18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.76 $2.76

19.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.76 $2.76

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.22 $2.22

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.98 $2.98

-9.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$14.02 $14.02

-16.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 $13.08

$15.28 $15.28

-14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.58 $2.58

-15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.50 $3.50

-27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.47 $2.47

-21.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.8 $74.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.34 $3.34

17.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.43 $1.43

18.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 $32.36

$24.32 $24.32

33.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.26 $1.26

22.22%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$35.0K $35.0K

-20.98%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.1K $26.1K

4.69%

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

$137 $137

$193 $193

-28.79%

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

$39.77 $39.77

$68.3 $68.3

-41.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$61.3 $61.3

1.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.88 $39.88

$54.1 $54.1

-26.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 $27.92

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$17.74 $17.74

0.85%

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

$2,330 $2,330

$1,652 $1,652

41.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$31.1K $31.1K

-23.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$66.1 $66.1

-21.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 $39.73

$51.2 $51.2

-22.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 $76.2

$100 $100

-23.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 $59.0

$141 $141

-58.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$2,446 $2,446

-26.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 $1,309

$1,678 $1,678

-21.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$4,717 $4,717

-45.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 $2,270

$2,795 $2,795

-18.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,730 $2,730

$4,105 $4,105

-33.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 $2,181

$2,650 $2,650

-17.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,395 $6,395

$4,866 $4,866

31.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

6.81

-1.76%

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

Last update for Brentwood, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brentwood, CA

$1.3K 50.2%

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53.5% 28.1% $368

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, CA

$466 17.9%

Chicago, IL

$449 14.3% 3.6% $17

Eating Out

Brentwood, CA

$395 15.2%

Chicago, IL

$343 10.9% 13.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, CA

$239 9.2%

Chicago, IL

$322 10.3% 34.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, CA

$102 3.9%

Chicago, IL

$161 5.1% 57.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, CA

$76 2.9%

Chicago, IL

$90 2.9% 18.4% $14

Getting Around

Brentwood, CA

$20 * 0.8%

Chicago, IL

$95 3% 370% $75

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 $1,791 in Brentwood, CA and $2,446 in Chicago, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, CA pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $112 in Brentwood, CA vs $90.0 in Chicago, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $449 per month, with Chicago, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

01:01 1:01 AM

2 h ahead of Brentwood, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,474

2,746,388

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brentwood, CA Chicago, IL 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brentwood, 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

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

Brentwood, CA and Chicago, IL differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,609 vs $3,139 including rent). Brentwood, CA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Brentwood, CA, 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: $1,791 in Brentwood, CA versus $2,446 in Chicago, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Chicago, IL pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,609 per month in Brentwood, CA versus $3,139 in Chicago, IL – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Brentwood, CA 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, Brentwood, CA 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 Brentwood, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Chicago, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.