Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA

🙂 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 17% cheaper than San Francisco, CA without rent, and 34.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 18.2% cheaper than San Francisco, CA without rent, and 28.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$24.77 $24.77

-15.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$131 $131

-23.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$14.79 $14.79

-19.07%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.84 $5.84

-4.79%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$3.28 $3.28

-5.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.48 $2.48

-2.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$7.9 $7.9

-13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$8.12 $8.12

4.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.47 $1.47

-29.25%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$5.18 $5.18

-19.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$6.61 $6.61

-16.49%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$5.97 $5.97

-22.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$23.1 $23.1

-37.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$15.26 $15.26

-2.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$23.64 $23.64

-18.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$6.94 $6.94

-25.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.77 $2.77

-38.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$5.32 $5.32

-17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$7.41 $7.41

-39.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.85 $3.85

-34.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.85 $3.85

-28.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.89 $2.89

-15.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$2.87 $2.87

-5.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$14.06 $14.06

8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$17.87 $17.87

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.64 $2.64

-10.98%

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

$3.04 $3.04

-16.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$95.1 $95.1

-22.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$4.11 $4.11

-18.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$2.05 $2.05

-30.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$39.34 $39.34

-35.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.33 $1.33

-18.80%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$34.7K $34.7K

-6.46%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

0.04%

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

$188 $188

$225 $225

-16.25%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$64.6 $64.6

-1.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$67.6 $67.6

-3.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$100 $100

-23.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

$12.65 $12.65

3.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$17.04 $17.04

-12.38%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$3,218 $3,218

-35.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$38.1K $38.1K

2.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$67.7 $67.7

-4.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$45.18 $45.18

15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$101 $101

-5.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$150 $150

-3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$3,301 $3,301

-27.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$2,747 $2,747

-42.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$5,371 $5,371

-11.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$4,500 $4,500

-37.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$10.8K $10.8K

-66.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$9,649 $9,649

-74.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$7,014 $7,014

-24.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.36

3.77%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for San Francisco, CA: October 29, 2025

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