Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and San Luis Obispo, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and San Luis Obispo, CA

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 13.4% more expensive than San Luis Obispo, CA without rent, and 8.8% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 29.4% more expensive than San Luis Obispo, CA without rent, and 7.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$20.07 $20.07

3.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$78.9 $78.9

27.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$11.39 $11.39

5.09%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.58 $5.58

-0.36%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$2.71 $2.71

14.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.5 $2.5

-3.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$8.1 $8.1

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$7.78 $7.78

8.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.13 $1.13

-7.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.49 $4.49

-7.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$3.26 $3.26

69.33%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$2.89 $2.89

60.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$15.49 $15.49

-7.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$10.53 $10.53

41.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$15.6 $15.6

23.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$3.35 $3.35

54.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.93 $1.93

-11.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.3 $3.3

33.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.29 $3.29

37.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.8 $2.8

-9.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.83 $2.83

-3.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.1 $2.1

15.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$2 $2

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.1 $11.1

36.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$17.24 $17.24

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.81 $1.81

29.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$3.2 $3.2

15.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.83 $1.83

38.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$60.1 $60.1

23.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.48 $3.48

-4.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.71 $1.71

-16.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$30.02 $30.02

-15.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.3 $1.3

-16.92%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$24.2K $24.2K

34.16%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.9K $26.9K

-2.43%

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

$188 $188

$257 $257

-26.86%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$49.31 $49.31

29.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$68 $68

-4.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$54 $54

42.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

$49.42 $49.42

-73.63%

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$12.24 $12.24

21.98%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$2,000 $2,000

3.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

53.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$52.6 $52.6

22.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$43.71 $43.71

19.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$87.3 $87.3

9.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$111 $111

30.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$2,319 $2,319

2.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,853 $1,853

-14.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$4,499 $4,499

5.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$3,691 $3,691

-23.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$8,147 $8,147

-55.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$7,231 $7,231

-65.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$5,196 $5,196

1.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.51

1.38%

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 Luis Obispo, CA: October 29, 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