Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartersville, GA and Chicago, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartersville, GA: $2,794 a month against $3,185 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Cartersville, GA
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Cartersville, GA Living Index
153

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

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Cartersville, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,794

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,794 in Cartersville, GA versus $3,185 in Chicago, IL.

Cartersville, GA $2,794
Chicago, IL $3,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,041 in Cartersville, GA versus $4,631 in Chicago, IL.

Cartersville, GA $4,041
Chicago, IL $4,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,287 in Cartersville, GA versus $6,077 in Chicago, IL.

Cartersville, GA $5,287
Chicago, IL $6,077

Living in Cartersville, GA costs roughly 12% less than in Chicago, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartersville, GA 107% above, Chicago, IL 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 $16.97

$21.58 $21.58

-21.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 $71.2

$88.7 $88.7

-19.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$13.20 $13.20

-31.52%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$5.59 $5.59

0.89%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$2.63 $2.63

-9.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.26 $2.26

-3.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 $4.78

$7.11 $7.11

-32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$9.23 $9.23

-33.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.28 $1.28

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.84 $3.84

-19.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$5.07 $5.07

-10.45%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$4.84 $4.84

-39.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$14.17 $14.17

-32.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$14.61 $14.61

-23.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.11 $16.11

$18.76 $18.76

-14.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.36 $6.36

$5.19 $5.19

22.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.00 $2.00

-31.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.00 $4.00

101.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$4.98 $4.98

10.24%

Potato (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.79 $2.79

48.39%

Onion (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.65 $2.65

70.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.13 $2.13

-3.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.09 $3.09

-35.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.76 $8.76

$16.05 $16.05

-45.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$15.20 $15.20

-1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.62 $2.62

-11.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.46 $3.46

4.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.47 $2.47

103.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.76 $39.76

$75.1 $75.1

-47.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.21 $3.21

-8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.39 $1.39

12.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.87 $29.87

$25.02 $25.02

19.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.24 $1.24

-23.39%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$37.2K $37.2K

-5.23%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$25.8K $25.8K

-11.69%

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

$255 $255

$192 $192

32.52%

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

$76.8 $76.8

$67.8 $67.8

13.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$60.9 $60.9

14.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 $53.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.90 $27.90

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 $14.85

$17.80 $17.80

-16.57%

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

$1,356 $1,356

$1,554 $1,554

-12.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K $17.9K

$31.4K $31.4K

-42.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.15 $32.15

$67.9 $67.9

-52.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.69 $35.69

$50.8 $50.8

-29.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.3 $67.3

$101 $101

-33.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.0 $81.0

$143 $143

-43.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$2,383 $2,383

-10.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 $1,503

$1,712 $1,712

-12.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,006 $3,006

$4,674 $4,674

-35.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 $2,514

$2,738 $2,738

-8.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 $4,158

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,691 $2,691

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,894 $4,894

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

6.77

-3.99%

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

Last update for Cartersville, GA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartersville, GA

$1.5K 53.8%

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53.8% 13.9% $209

Groceries & Markets

Cartersville, GA

$407 14.6%

Chicago, IL

$451 14.2% 10.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartersville, GA

$401 14.4%

Chicago, IL

$321 10.1% 20% $80

Eating Out

Cartersville, GA

$285 10.2%

Chicago, IL

$353 11.1% 23.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Cartersville, GA

$97 3.5%

Chicago, IL

$164 5.1% 68.1% $66

Getting Around

Cartersville, GA

$71 2.5%

Chicago, IL

$95 3% 34.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cartersville, GA

$30 * 1.1%

Chicago, IL

$89 2.8% 200% $59

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 $2,127 in Cartersville, GA and $2,383 in Chicago, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Cartersville, GA vs $89.0 in Chicago, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $451 per month, with Cartersville, GA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cartersville, GA

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

1 h behind Cartersville, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,319

2,746,388

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartersville, GA Chicago, IL 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartersville, GA
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

Cartersville, GA vs Chicago, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartersville, GA and Chicago, IL differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,794 vs $3,185 including rent). Cartersville, GA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,191 in Cartersville, GA and $4,777 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: $2,127 in Cartersville, GA versus $2,383 in Chicago, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cartersville, GA runs roughly 89% less than in Chicago, IL. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,356 in Cartersville, GA versus $1,554 in Chicago, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Cartersville, GA 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 Cartersville, GA 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.