Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Ellicott City, MD Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Ellicott City, MD

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 29% more expensive than Ellicott City, MD without rent, and 13.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 22.5% more expensive than Ellicott City, MD without rent, and 22.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$20.2 $20.2

3.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$88.3 $88.3

13.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$10.02 $10.02

19.46%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.16 $5.16

7.75%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$3.29 $3.29

-5.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.52 $2.52

-3.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$5.85 $5.85

17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$7.67 $7.67

10.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.18 $1.18

-11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.58 $3.58

15.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$4.53 $4.53

21.85%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$4.44 $4.44

4.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$17.96 $17.96

-20.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$10.21 $10.21

45.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$16.28 $16.28

18.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$6.76 $6.76

-23.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.97 $2.97

-42.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$6.96 $6.96

-36.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$5.47 $5.47

-17.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.83 $2.83

-10.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.02 $3.02

-9.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.53 $2.53

-3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$2.66 $2.66

1.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$8.15 $8.15

86.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$15.24 $15.24

7.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.26 $2.26

3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$3.86 $3.86

-4.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.06 $2.06

22.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.81 $1.81

84.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.33 $1.33

6.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$24.19 $24.19

5.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.83 $0.83

30.12%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$24.9K $24.9K

30.39%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$24.8K $24.8K

5.80%

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

$188 $188

$169 $169

11.05%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$52.6 $52.6

21.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$78.6 $78.6

-17.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$42.19 $42.19

81.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$15.27 $15.27

-2.23%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$1,293 $1,293

59.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$32.8K $32.8K

19.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$48.16 $48.16

33.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$48.71 $48.71

7.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$85.8 $85.8

11.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$110 $110

30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$1,607 $1,607

47.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,339 $1,339

18.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$2,603 $2,603

82.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$2,238 $2,238

25.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$2,376 $2,376

51.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$2,098 $2,098

18.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$4,952 $4,952

6.52%

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 Ellicott City, MD: October 28, 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