Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Augusta, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Augusta, ME: $2,388 a month against $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
Learn more

Chicago, IL Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
Learn more

Augusta, ME Living Index

Jump to prices

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chicago, IL and in Augusta, ME

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chicago, IL and in Augusta, ME actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,037 in Chicago, IL versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME.

Chicago, IL $3,037
Augusta, ME $2,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,518 in Chicago, IL versus $3,317 in Augusta, ME.

Chicago, IL $4,518
Augusta, ME $3,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Chicago, IL versus $4,246 in Augusta, ME.

Chicago, IL $5,999
Augusta, ME $4,246

Living in Chicago, IL is roughly 27% more expensive than in Augusta, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chicago, IL 123% above, Augusta, ME 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 $20.71

$19.90 $19.90

4.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 $89.2

$53.1 $53.1

67.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 $13.19

$10.39 $10.39

26.95%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$5.40 $5.40

4.81%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.36 $2.36

11.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.59 $1.59

43.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$5.02 $5.02

36.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$7.72 $7.72

14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.14 $1.14

9.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$4.56 $4.56

-18.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.45 $1.45

271.72%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$3.96 $3.96

19.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 $13.84

$15.09 $15.09

-8.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$14.12 $14.12

1.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$19.52 $19.52

-5.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$7.48 $7.48

-30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.31 $1.31

51.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.09 $3.09

31.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.59 $4.59

8.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.33 $2.33

14.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.86 $2.86

-6.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.08 $2.08

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.81 $1.81

72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 $13.82

$11.98 $11.98

15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$12.99 $12.99

14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.56 $1.56

62.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.55 $1.55

126.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 $73.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.55 $2.55

24.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.27 $1.27

9.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$28.55 $28.55

-12.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$0.90 $0.90

33.33%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$29.6K $29.6K

18.47%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.3K $24.3K

9.90%

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

$194 $194

$243 $243

-19.98%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$45.59 $45.59

52.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$61.0 $61.0

1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.90 $47.90

$22.60 $22.60

111.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 $27.34

Cinema Ticket

$17.81 $17.81

$14.13 $14.13

26.04%

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

$1,794 $1,794

$2,656 $2,656

-32.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$36.6K $36.6K

-12.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$73.5 $73.5

-8.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$50.9 $50.9

2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$113 $113

-10.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$154 $154

-6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$1,200 $1,200

110.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$1,078 $1,078

46.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,738 $4,738

$1,602 $1,602

195.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,473 $1,473

82.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$2,386 $2,386

75.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$2,378 $2,378

16.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$1,948 $1,948

153.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

6.3

8.10%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52%

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2% 31.7% $500

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7%

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3% 7.7% $34

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4%

Augusta, ME

$312 13% 9.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7%

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6% 7.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4%

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4% 7.5% $12

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1%

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4% 90.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8%

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1% 39.1% $33

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 $2,526 in Chicago, IL and $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chicago, IL pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Chicago, IL vs $53 in Augusta, ME for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $447 vs $413 per month, with Augusta, ME cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

1 h ahead of Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

194,343

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chicago, IL Augusta, ME 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
Augusta, ME

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

Chicago, IL vs Augusta, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,037 in Chicago, IL and $2,388 in Augusta, ME, so Augusta, ME is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Chicago, IL is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $2,526 in Chicago, IL versus $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,794 in Chicago, IL versus $2,656 in Augusta, ME. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $89 in Chicago, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,388 in Augusta, ME versus $3,037 in Chicago, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Augusta, ME but tight or insufficient in Chicago, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Augusta, ME the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Augusta, ME wins on affordability, Chicago, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.