Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Burlington, IA Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Burlington, IA

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 51.2% more expensive than Burlington, IA without rent, and 71.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 25.8% more expensive than Burlington, IA without rent, and 74.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$11.44 $11.44

81.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$59.5 $59.5

68.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$8.89 $8.89

34.65%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.6 $5.6

-0.71%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$1.99 $1.99

56.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.97 $1.97

22.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$3.56 $3.56

92.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$4.42 $4.42

91.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$0.81 $0.81

28.40%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.59 $2.59

60.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$8.19 $8.19

-32.60%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$3.01 $3.01

54.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$14.76 $14.76

-2.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$13.2 $13.2

12.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$15.01 $15.01

28.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$5.06 $5.06

2.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.94 $1.94

-11.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$4.84 $4.84

-8.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$5.21 $5.21

-13.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.15 $3.15

-19.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.46 $2.46

11.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.79 $1.79

35.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$2.42 $2.42

11.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$8.83 $8.83

72.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$11.81 $11.81

39.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.78 $1.78

32.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$3.95 $3.95

-6.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.64 $1.64

54.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$20.35 $20.35

264.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.52 $3.52

-5.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.58 $1.58

-10.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$29.54 $29.54

-13.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.88 $0.88

22.73%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$22.7K $22.7K

42.80%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.7K $23.7K

10.45%

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

$188 $188

$173 $173

8.62%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$51.5 $51.5

23.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$51.1 $51.1

27.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$50.1 $50.1

53.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$11.04 $11.04

35.24%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$726 $726

184.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$23.2K $23.2K

68.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$44.47 $44.47

44.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$31.46 $31.46

66.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$67.1 $67.1

41.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$38.34 $38.34

277.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$629 $629

277.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$655 $655

141.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$1,037 $1,037

359.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$1,172 $1,172

140.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$1,057 $1,057

239.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,030 $1,030

141.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$4,460 $4,460

18.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.52

1.23%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

Dallas, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

Miami, FL

🇺🇸 United States

San Diego, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

Atlanta, GA

🇺🇸 United States

Minneapolis, MN

🇺🇸 United States