Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Bergen County, NJ Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Bergen County, NJ

🙂 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 6.2% cheaper than Bergen County, NJ without rent, and 26.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 7.5% cheaper than Bergen County, NJ without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$20.21 $20.21

3.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$86.5 $86.5

16.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$13.86 $13.86

-13.64%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.17 $5.17

7.54%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$2.42 $2.42

28.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.24 $2.24

8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$6.88 $6.88

-0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$8.82 $8.82

-4.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.3 $1.3

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.52 $4.52

-8.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$8.93 $8.93

-38.19%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$4.8 $4.8

-3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$16.84 $16.84

-14.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$11.71 $11.71

27.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$17.99 $17.99

7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$4.81 $4.81

7.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.79 $1.79

-4.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.86 $3.86

14.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.06 $4.06

11.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.79 $2.79

-9.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.78 $3.78

-27.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.39 $2.39

1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$2.17 $2.17

24.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.52 $13.52

12.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$16.8 $16.8

-2.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.68 $1.68

39.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$3.5 $3.5

5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.31 $4.31

-41.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$169 $169

-56.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.06 $3.06

9.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$23.99 $23.99

5.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.92 $0.92

17.39%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$29.7K $29.7K

9.01%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

2.89%

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

$188 $188

$129 $129

46.46%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$45.21 $45.21

40.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$63.8 $63.8

2.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$43.28 $43.28

77.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$17.34 $17.34

-13.90%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$2,232 $2,232

-7.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$24K $24K

63.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$74.6 $74.6

-13.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$23.91 $23.91

119.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$88.6 $88.6

7.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$116 $116

24.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$2,732 $2,732

-12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$2,693 $2,693

-41.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$4,548 $4,548

4.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$3,003 $3,003

-6.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$3,971 $3,971

-9.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$3,714 $3,714

-32.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$5,523 $5,523

-4.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.57

0.46%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Bergen County, NJ: October 27, 2025

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