Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Brentwood, TN: $2,756 a month against $3,139 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

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

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

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Brentwood, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,756

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,756 in Brentwood, TN versus $3,139 in Chicago, IL.

Brentwood, TN $2,756
Chicago, IL $3,139

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,945 in Brentwood, TN versus $4,627 in Chicago, IL.

Brentwood, TN $3,945
Chicago, IL $4,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,135 in Brentwood, TN versus $6,115 in Chicago, IL.

Brentwood, TN $5,135
Chicago, IL $6,115

Living in Brentwood, TN 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: Brentwood, TN 103% above, Chicago, IL 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 $17.74

$20.65 $20.65

-14.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$90.2 $90.2

-16.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 $11.74

$12.94 $12.94

-9.27%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$5.60 $5.60

-3.21%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$2.64 $2.64

7.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.27 $2.27

10.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 $6.68

$6.98 $6.98

-4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$8.83 $8.83

-22.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.27 $1.27

-13.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.80 $3.80

4.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$5.30 $5.30

-23.96%

Eggs

$4.29 $4.29

$4.76 $4.76

-9.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.05 $13.05

$13.96 $13.96

-6.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$14.61 $14.61

-0.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.20 $18.20

$18.77 $18.77

-3.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$5.19 $5.19

10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.98 $1.98

-22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.93 $3.93

-29.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.96 $4.96

-1.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.76 $2.76

-20.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.76 $2.76

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.22 $2.22

6.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.98 $2.98

-24.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.10 $9.10

$14.02 $14.02

-35.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.68 $15.68

$15.28 $15.28

2.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.58 $2.58

-23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.50 $3.50

-8.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.47 $2.47

-24.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.8 $74.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.34 $3.34

47.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.43 $1.43

11.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.69 $20.69

$24.32 $24.32

-14.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.26 $1.26

-17.46%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$35.0K $35.0K

-19.04%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.1K $26.1K

4.45%

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

$224 $224

$193 $193

16.40%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$68.3 $68.3

6.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 $63.9

$61.3 $61.3

4.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.70 $41.70

$54.1 $54.1

-22.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 $27.92

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$17.74 $17.74

-14.83%

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

$1,205 $1,205

$1,652 $1,652

-27.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$31.1K $31.1K

-22.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 $55.0

$66.1 $66.1

-16.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.33 $42.33

$51.2 $51.2

-17.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$100 $100

9.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$141 $141

-2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 $1,424

$2,446 $2,446

-41.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 $1,416

$1,678 $1,678

-15.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,706 $2,706

$4,717 $4,717

-42.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$2,795 $2,795

-21.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 $2,678

$4,105 $4,105

-34.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 $2,349

$2,650 $2,650

-11.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,027 $6,027

$4,866 $4,866

23.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

6.81

-2.50%

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

Last update for Brentwood, TN: 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, TN

$1.4K 51.4%

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53.5% 18.5% $262

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, TN

$421 15.3%

Chicago, IL

$449 14.3% 6.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, TN

$361 13.1%

Chicago, IL

$322 10.3% 10.6% $38

Eating Out

Brentwood, TN

$311 11.3%

Chicago, IL

$343 10.9% 10.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, TN

$155 5.6%

Chicago, IL

$161 5.1% 4% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, TN

$72 2.6%

Chicago, IL

$90 2.9% 24.6% $18

Getting Around

Brentwood, TN

$20 * 0.7%

Chicago, IL

$95 3% 368% $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 $1,424 in Brentwood, TN and $2,446 in Chicago, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, TN pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $75.0 in Brentwood, TN vs $90.0 in Chicago, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $449 per month, with Brentwood, TN cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, TN

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Brentwood, TN

🌤 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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Highest

Between locations

Brentwood, TN Chicago, IL 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Brentwood, TN and Chicago, IL differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,756 vs $3,139 including rent). Brentwood, TN is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Brentwood, TN, 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: $1,424 in Brentwood, TN versus $2,446 in Chicago, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Chicago, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,756 per month in Brentwood, TN 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. Brentwood, TN 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.

Expats usually find Brentwood, TN 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.