Cost of Living Comparison Between Castro Valley, CA and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Castro Valley, CA and Chicago, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: Castro Valley, CA is 10% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 8.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Castro Valley, CA is 13.3% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 17.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.7 $21.7

$20.82 $20.82

4.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78 $78

$100 $100

-22.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 $10.84

$11.97 $11.97

-9.44%

Cappuccino

$5.86 $5.86

$5.56 $5.56

5.40%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$3.11 $3.11

-8.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.42 $2.42

17.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 $7.32

$6.86 $6.86

6.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.26 $9.26

$8.45 $8.45

9.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.04 $1.04

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.15 $4.15

4.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$5.52 $5.52

-42.57%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$4.65 $4.65

-0.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 $10.92

$14.33 $14.33

-23.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.4 $9.4

$14.88 $14.88

-36.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$19.34 $19.34

-34.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$5.17 $5.17

-12.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.71 $1.71

58.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$4.41 $4.41

-28.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.51 $4.51

10.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.53 $2.53

19.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.74 $2.74

25.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.43 $2.43

-9.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.06 $11.06

$15.19 $15.19

-27.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.58 $17.58

$16.42 $16.42

7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.35 $2.35

-23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.7 $3.7

-27.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.53 $2.53

32.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.34 $3.34

33.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.42 $1.42

31.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 $29.83

$25.42 $25.42

17.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.08 $1.08

12.04%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$32.4K $32.4K

-7.25%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.2K $26.2K

4.50%

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

$203 $203

$188 $188

7.85%

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

$47.52 $47.52

$63.7 $63.7

-25.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$65.2 $65.2

5.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.11 $43.11

$76.7 $76.7

-43.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$15.86 $15.86

$14.93 $14.93

6.23%

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

$1,557 $1,557

$2,063 $2,063

-24.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$39.2K $39.2K

-39.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 $55.2

$64.3 $64.3

-14.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 $34.37

$52.4 $52.4

-34.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76 $76

$95.2 $95.2

-20.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 $79.2

$145 $145

-45.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 $2,313

$2,378 $2,378

-2.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 $2,045

$1,584 $1,584

29.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,660 $2,660

$4,763 $4,763

-44.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 $2,246

$2,815 $2,815

-20.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,652 $7,652

$3,588 $3,588

113.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,583 $7,583

$2,490 $2,490

204.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,901 $5,901

$5,275 $5,275

11.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

6.6

-0.61%

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

Last update for Castro Valley, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

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