Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Princeton, NJ Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Princeton, NJ

🙂 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 15.9% cheaper than Princeton, NJ without rent, and 20.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 10.2% cheaper than Princeton, NJ without rent, and 13.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$17.19 $17.19

21.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$79 $79

27.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$14.92 $14.92

-19.77%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.04 $5.04

10.32%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$2.44 $2.44

27.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.17 $2.17

11.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$7.79 $7.79

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$8.07 $8.07

4.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.1 $1.1

-5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.98 $3.98

4.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$8.69 $8.69

-36.48%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$4.27 $4.27

8.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$25.39 $25.39

-43.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$24.26 $24.26

-38.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$22.74 $22.74

-14.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$6.67 $6.67

-22.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.59 $2.59

-33.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$5.39 $5.39

-18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$5.94 $5.94

-24.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.8 $2.8

-9.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.69 $3.69

-25.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.48 $2.48

-2.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$3.07 $3.07

-12.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.02 $11.02

37.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$19.32 $19.32

-15.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.7 $1.7

38.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$6.2 $6.2

-40.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.14 $2.14

18.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$203 $203

-63.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$5.9 $5.9

-43.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.41 $1.41

0.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$42.5 $42.5

-40.19%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

7.78%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.6K $26.6K

-1.29%

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

$188 $188

$183 $183

2.86%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$51.1 $51.1

24.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$56 $56

16.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$172 $172

-55.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

$31.65 $31.65

-58.83%

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$15.15 $15.15

-1.45%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$1,867 $1,867

10.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$39.7K $39.7K

-1.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$36.95 $36.95

74.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$23.63 $23.63

121.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$142 $142

-33.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$204 $204

-29.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$2,654 $2,654

-10.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,905 $1,905

-16.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$4,561 $4,561

4.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$3,108 $3,108

-9.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$5,490 $5,490

-34.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$3,533 $3,533

-29.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$5,992 $5,992

-11.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.55

0.76%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Princeton, NJ: 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