Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Santa Barbara, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Santa Barbara, CA

🙂 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 1% cheaper than Santa Barbara, CA without rent, and 19.2% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 16.8% more expensive than Santa Barbara, CA without rent, and 20.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$24.82 $24.82

-16.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

0.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$10.17 $10.17

17.70%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.62 $5.62

-1.07%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$2.73 $2.73

13.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.1 $2.1

15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$8.16 $8.16

-15.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$9.1 $9.1

-7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.3 $1.3

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.89 $4.89

-15.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$4.83 $4.83

14.29%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$5.43 $5.43

-14.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$12.51 $12.51

14.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$11.62 $11.62

28.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$14.26 $14.26

35.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$6.24 $6.24

-17.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.91 $1.91

-10.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.84 $3.84

14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$5.35 $5.35

-15.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.31 $3.31

-23.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.04 $3.04

-9.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.18 $2.18

11.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$2.02 $2.02

33.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.02 $13.02

16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$15.26 $15.26

7.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.76 $1.76

33.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$4.07 $4.07

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.8 $1.8

40.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$65.2 $65.2

13.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$5.82 $5.82

-42.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$2 $2

-29.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$50.9 $50.9

-50.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.22 $1.22

-11.48%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$28.5K $28.5K

13.83%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

2.72%

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

$188 $188

$201 $201

-6.40%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$54.1 $54.1

17.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$72.4 $72.4

-9.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$66.1 $66.1

16.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

$18.29 $18.29

-28.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$12.64 $12.64

18.12%

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

$2,063 $2,063

$1,445 $1,445

42.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$37.3K $37.3K

4.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$68.4 $68.4

-5.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$41.33 $41.33

26.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$77.7 $77.7

22.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$146 $146

-0.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$2,643 $2,643

-10.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$2,296 $2,296

-31.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$5,146 $5,146

-7.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$4,439 $4,439

-36.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$10.4K $10.4K

-65.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$9,888 $9,888

-74.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$5,242 $5,242

0.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.68

-1.20%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: October 29, 2025

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