Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA

🙂 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 5.7% cheaper than Los Angeles, CA without rent, and 15.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 6.4% cheaper than Los Angeles, CA without rent, and 13.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$24.72 $24.72

-15.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$99.9 $99.9

0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$13.93 $13.93

-14.07%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.87 $5.87

-5.28%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$2.96 $2.96

5.07%

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

$8.67 $8.67

-20.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$9.97 $9.97

-15.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.18 $1.18

-11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.4 $4.4

-5.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$5.85 $5.85

-5.64%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$7.67 $7.67

-39.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$12.47 $12.47

14.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$17.17 $17.17

-13.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$19.76 $19.76

-2.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$6.04 $6.04

-14.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.6 $2.6

-34.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$4.28 $4.28

3.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.89 $4.89

-7.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.97 $2.97

-14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.45 $2.45

11.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.83 $1.83

32.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$2.13 $2.13

26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.93 $11.93

27.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$15.22 $15.22

7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.59 $2.59

-9.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$3.29 $3.29

12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.74 $1.74

45.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$82.7 $82.7

-10.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.17 $3.17

5.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.69 $1.69

-15.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$29.16 $29.16

-12.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.31 $1.31

-17.56%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$31.7K $31.7K

2.30%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.8K $26.8K

-2.24%

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

$188 $188

$180 $180

4.45%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$67.2 $67.2

-5.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$71.5 $71.5

-8.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$47.48 $47.48

61.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

$12.61 $12.61

3.33%

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$17.78 $17.78

-16.03%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$1,778 $1,778

16.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$23.5K $23.5K

66.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$62.6 $62.6

2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$47.21 $47.21

10.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$101 $101

-6.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$150 $150

-3.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$2,653 $2,653

-10.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$2,091 $2,091

-24.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$4,529 $4,529

5.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$3,701 $3,701

-23.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$7,588 $7,588

-52.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$6,911 $6,911

-63.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$4,595 $4,595

14.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.49

1.69%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 27, 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