Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Charlottesville, VA Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Charlottesville, VA

🙂 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 21.3% cheaper than Charlottesville, VA without rent, and 8.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 20.2% cheaper than Charlottesville, VA without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$22.56 $22.56

-7.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$119 $119

-15.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$12.79 $12.79

-6.41%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.27 $5.27

5.50%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$2.88 $2.88

7.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.87 $1.87

29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$5.98 $5.98

14.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$6.16 $6.16

37.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.19 $1.19

-12.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.57 $3.57

16.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$6.99 $6.99

-21.03%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$6.16 $6.16

-24.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$19.34 $19.34

-25.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$19.63 $19.63

-24.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$17.77 $17.77

8.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$7.84 $7.84

-34.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.91 $2.91

-41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$8.13 $8.13

-45.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$11.16 $11.16

-59.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.74 $4.74

-46.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.72 $3.72

-26.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.8 $2.8

-13.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$3.1 $3.1

-12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.77 $7.77

95.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$15.88 $15.88

3.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.71 $1.71

37.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$3.84 $3.84

-3.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.04 $2.04

24.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$147 $147

-49.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$4.61 $4.61

-27.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$2.42 $2.42

-41.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$28.99 $28.99

-12.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.84 $0.84

28.57%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$26.4K $26.4K

22.61%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$24.8K $24.8K

5.82%

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

$188 $188

$284 $284

-33.67%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$53.1 $53.1

19.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$109 $109

-40.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$71.5 $71.5

7.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$15.52 $15.52

-3.80%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$1,409 $1,409

46.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$23.4K $23.4K

67.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$48.12 $48.12

33.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$48.61 $48.61

7.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$96.4 $96.4

-1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$121 $121

19.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$1,820 $1,820

30.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,589 $1,589

-0.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$2,930 $2,930

62.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$2,668 $2,668

5.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$2,825 $2,825

27.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$2,747 $2,747

-9.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$4,607 $4,607

14.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.32

4.43%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Charlottesville, VA: 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