Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and La Crosse, WI Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and La Crosse, WI

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 26.3% more expensive than La Crosse, WI without rent, and 41.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 27.8% more expensive than La Crosse, WI without rent, and 33.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$12.93 $12.93

61.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$83.3 $83.3

20.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$11.9 $11.9

0.59%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$6.17 $6.17

-9.89%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$2.95 $2.95

5.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.32 $2.32

4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$6.11 $6.11

12.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$7.08 $7.08

19.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$0.8 $0.8

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.18 $2.18

90.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$5.37 $5.37

2.79%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$4.24 $4.24

9.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$5.38 $5.38

166.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$14.23 $14.23

4.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$17.89 $17.89

8.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$6.24 $6.24

-17.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.8 $1.8

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.17 $2.17

103.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.35 $3.35

34.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.26 $2.26

11.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.83 $3.83

-28.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.45 $2.45

-0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$1.98 $1.98

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.95 $11.95

27.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$10.79 $10.79

52.18%

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

$2.04 $2.04

81.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.48 $1.48

70.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$35.4 $35.4

109.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$4.58 $4.58

-27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.58 $1.58

-10.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$23.87 $23.87

6.49%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

6.14%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$24.4K $24.4K

7.44%

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

$188 $188

$165 $165

14.31%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$51.7 $51.7

23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$67.7 $67.7

-3.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$39.41 $39.41

94.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

$3.88 $3.88

235.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$11.85 $11.85

25.99%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$1,609 $1,609

28.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$26.2K $26.2K

49.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$63.3 $63.3

1.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$44.35 $44.35

18.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$86.1 $86.1

10.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$115 $115

25.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$777 $777

206.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,004 $1,004

57.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$2,197 $2,197

116.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$1,966 $1,966

43.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$1,855 $1,855

93.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,877 $1,877

32.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$4,554 $4,554

15.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.51

1.38%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for La Crosse, WI: 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