Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Salt Lake City, UT Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Salt Lake City, UT

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 12.5% more expensive than Salt Lake City, UT without rent, and 12.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 15.1% more expensive than Salt Lake City, UT without rent, and 24.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.82 $20.82
$18.65 $18.65
11.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 $100
$82.8 $82.8
21.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.97 $11.97
$11.39 $11.39
5.09%
Cappuccino
$5.56 $5.56
$4.97 $4.97
11.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 $3.11
$2.29 $2.29
35.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.74 $1.74
39.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.86 $6.86
$6.03 $6.03
13.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.45 $8.45
$7.67 $7.67
10.17%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$0.98 $0.98
6.12%
White Bread (500g)
$4.15 $4.15
$3.29 $3.29
26.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.52 $5.52
$3.88 $3.88
42.27%
Eggs
$4.65 $4.65
$4.38 $4.38
6.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.33 $14.33
$12.36 $12.36
15.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.88 $14.88
$10.32 $10.32
44.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.34 $19.34
$16.37 $16.37
18.14%
Apples (1kg)
$5.17 $5.17
$5.16 $5.16
0.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$2.05 $2.05
-16.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.41 $4.41
$3.55 $3.55
24.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$4.77 $4.77
-5.45%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 $2.53
$2.5 $2.5
1.20%
Onion (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$2.65 $2.65
3.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.86 $1.86
30.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.7 $2.7
$1.98 $1.98
36.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.19 $15.19
$8.88 $8.88
71.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.42 $16.42
$15.41 $15.41
6.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 $2.35
$1.91 $1.91
23.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 $3.7
$2.48 $2.48
49.19%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.53 $2.53
$2.45 $2.45
3.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.1 $74.1
$86.3 $86.3
-14.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.34 $3.34
$2.43 $2.43
37.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.39 $1.39
2.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.42 $25.42
$24.61 $24.61
3.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$1 $1
8.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.4K $32.4K
$24.8K $24.8K
30.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$26.5K $26.5K
-1.23%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 $188
$178 $178
5.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.7 $63.7
$68.5 $68.5
-7.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.2 $65.2
$82.4 $82.4
-20.88%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.7 $76.7
$27.87 $27.87
175.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.03 $13.03
$16.32 $16.32
-20.16%
Cinema Ticket
$14.93 $14.93
$13.76 $13.76
8.50%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,063 $2,063
$992 $992
107.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.2K $39.2K
$18.6K $18.6K
111.03%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.3 $64.3
$64 $64
0.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 $52.4
$43.36 $43.36
20.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.2 $95.2
$108 $108
-11.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 $145
$110 $110
31.66%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,378 $2,378
$1,630 $1,630
45.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 $1,584
$1,374 $1,374
15.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,763 $4,763
$2,841 $2,841
67.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,815 $2,815
$2,148 $2,148
31.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,588 $3,588
$3,468 $3,468
3.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,490 $2,490
$2,756 $2,756
-9.63%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Chicago, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,275 $5,275
$4,404 $4,404
19.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.6
6.49
1.69%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Salt Lake City, UT: October 28, 2025

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