Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Lafayette, LA Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Lafayette, LA

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 24.8% more expensive than Lafayette, LA without rent, and 28.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 7.2% more expensive than Lafayette, LA without rent, and 29.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.82 $20.82
$20.34 $20.34
2.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 $100
$99.7 $99.7
0.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.97 $11.97
$9.87 $9.87
21.28%
Cappuccino
$5.56 $5.56
$5.06 $5.06
9.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 $3.11
$2.47 $2.47
25.91%
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
$3.93 $3.93
74.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.45 $8.45
$6.47 $6.47
30.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.17 $1.17
-11.11%
White Bread (500g)
$4.15 $4.15
$3.07 $3.07
35.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.52 $5.52
$5.03 $5.03
9.74%
Eggs
$4.65 $4.65
$4.46 $4.46
4.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.33 $14.33
$10.31 $10.31
38.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.88 $14.88
$11.29 $11.29
31.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.34 $19.34
$14.6 $14.6
32.47%
Apples (1kg)
$5.17 $5.17
$4.87 $4.87
6.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.39 $1.39
23.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.41 $4.41
$4.92 $4.92
-10.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$5.12 $5.12
-11.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 $2.53
$2.62 $2.62
-3.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$3.14 $3.14
-12.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.74 $1.74
39.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.7 $2.7
$2.79 $2.79
-3.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.19 $15.19
$8.11 $8.11
87.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.42 $16.42
$15.16 $15.16
8.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 $2.35
$2.1 $2.1
11.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 $3.7
$3.49 $3.49
6.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.28 $1.28
97.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.1 $74.1
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.34 $3.34
$2.95 $2.95
13.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.03 $1.03
37.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.42 $25.42
$34.47 $34.47
-26.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$0.78 $0.78
38.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.4K $32.4K
$34.7K $34.7K
-6.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$28.2K $28.2K
-6.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 $188
$237 $237
-20.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.7 $63.7
$51.2 $51.2
24.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.2 $65.2
$68.5 $68.5
-4.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.7 $76.7
$61.3 $61.3
25.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.03 $13.03
$22.29 $22.29
-41.54%
Cinema Ticket
$14.93 $14.93
$12.22 $12.22
22.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,063 $2,063
$1,537 $1,537
34.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.2K $39.2K
$10.1K $10.1K
288.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.3 $64.3
$51.5 $51.5
25.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 $52.4
$40.86 $40.86
28.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.2 $95.2
$75 $75
26.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 $145
$114 $114
26.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,378 $2,378
$1,213 $1,213
96.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 $1,584
$1,064 $1,064
48.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,763 $4,763
$1,735 $1,735
174.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,815 $2,815
$1,886 $1,886
49.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,588 $3,588
$2,173 $2,173
65.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,490 $2,490
$2,167 $2,167
14.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chicago, IL
Lafayette, LA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,275 $5,275
$3,410 $3,410
54.70%
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 Lafayette, LA: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.