Last update: Oct 2026

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

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.

153

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
Learn more

Chicago, IL Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Cartersville, GA
Learn more

Cartersville, GA Living Index

Jump to prices

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Cartersville, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chicago, IL and in Cartersville, GA

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 Cartersville, GA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Chicago, IL is roughly 14% more expensive than in Cartersville, GA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.58 $21.58

$16.97 $16.97

27.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 $88.7

$71.2 $71.2

24.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 $13.20

$9.04 $9.04

46.02%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$5.64 $5.64

-0.89%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.39 $2.39

10.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.18 $2.18

3.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 $7.11

$4.78 $4.78

48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.23 $9.23

$6.17 $6.17

49.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.07 $1.07

19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.11 $3.11

23.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$4.54 $4.54

11.67%

Eggs

$4.84 $4.84

$2.94 $2.94

64.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 $14.17

$9.60 $9.60

47.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.61 $14.61

$11.18 $11.18

30.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.76 $18.76

$16.11 $16.11

16.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$6.36 $6.36

-18.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.37 $1.37

45.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$8.07 $8.07

-50.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$5.49 $5.49

-9.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$4.14 $4.14

-32.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$4.51 $4.51

-41.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.05 $2.05

3.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.98 $1.98

56.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.05 $16.05

$8.76 $8.76

83.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.20 $15.20

$15.04 $15.04

1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.31 $2.31

13.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.63 $3.63

-4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$5.02 $5.02

-50.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.1 $75.1

$39.76 $39.76

88.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.94 $2.94

9.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.57 $1.57

-11.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.02 $25.02

$29.87 $29.87

-16.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.95 $0.95

30.53%

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

$37.2K $37.2K

$35.2K $35.2K

5.52%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$22.8K $22.8K

13.23%

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

$192 $192

$255 $255

-24.54%

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

$67.8 $67.8

$76.8 $76.8

-11.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 $60.9

$69.7 $69.7

-12.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 $53.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.90 $27.90

Cinema Ticket

$17.80 $17.80

$14.85 $14.85

19.87%

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

$1,554 $1,554

$1,356 $1,356

14.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.4K $31.4K

$17.9K $17.9K

74.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 $67.9

$32.15 $32.15

111.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$35.69 $35.69

42.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$67.3 $67.3

50.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$81.0 $81.0

76.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,383 $2,383

$2,127 $2,127

12.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 $1,712

$1,503 $1,503

13.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,674 $4,674

$3,006 $3,006

55.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 $2,738

$2,514 $2,514

8.93%

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 %)

6.77

6.5

4.15%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cartersville, GA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53.8%

Cartersville, GA

$1.5K 53.8% 12.2% $209

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$451 14.2%

Cartersville, GA

$407 14.6% 9.8% $44

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$353 11.1%

Cartersville, GA

$285 10.2% 19.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$321 10.1%

Cartersville, GA

$401 14.4% 25% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.1%

Cartersville, GA

$97 3.5% 40.5% $66

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$95 3%

Cartersville, GA

$71 2.5% 25.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$89 2.8%

Cartersville, GA

$30 * 1.1% 66.7% $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 $2,383 in Chicago, IL and $2,127 in Cartersville, GA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 Cartersville, GA

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

12:17 12:17 PM

1 h ahead of Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

20,319

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chicago, IL
Cartersville, GA

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 Cartersville, GA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $4,777 in Chicago, IL and $4,191 in Cartersville, GA 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: $2,383 in Chicago, IL versus $2,127 in Cartersville, GA. 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 $1,554 in Chicago, IL versus $1,356 in Cartersville, GA. 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.