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

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 9% more expensive than Santa Cruz, CA without rent, and 29% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 2.1% cheaper than Santa Cruz, CA without rent, and 18.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 $20.82

$22.44 $22.44

-7.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$79.7 $79.7

25.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$12.36 $12.36

-3.16%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.85 $5.85

-4.96%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$3.41 $3.41

-8.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.54 $2.54

-4.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$6.93 $6.93

-1.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$7.46 $7.46

13.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.43 $1.43

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$5.16 $5.16

-19.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$6.65 $6.65

-16.99%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$5.96 $5.96

-21.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$23.24 $23.24

-38.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$14.85 $14.85

0.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$23.7 $23.7

-18.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$7.05 $7.05

-26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.78 $2.78

-38.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$5.32 $5.32

-17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$7.49 $7.49

-39.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.88 $3.88

-34.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.93 $3.93

-30.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.9 $2.9

-16.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.7 $2.7

$2.86 $2.86

-5.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 $15.19

$14.16 $14.16

7.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.42 $16.42

$12.02 $12.02

36.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.15 $2.15

9.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.7 $3.7

$2.67 $2.67

38.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.05 $2.05

23.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

$65.2 $65.2

13.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$4.09 $4.09

-18.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.93 $1.93

-26.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$38.9 $38.9

-34.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.24 $1.24

-12.90%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$34.9K $34.9K

-7.11%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.5K $26.5K

-0.91%

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

$188 $188

$221 $221

-14.76%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$47.05 $47.05

35.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$67.8 $67.8

-3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 $76.7

$60.2 $60.2

27.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

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

$3,225 $3,225

-36.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$38.5K $38.5K

1.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$63.2 $63.2

1.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$46.64 $46.64

12.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$79.3 $79.3

20.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$115 $115

25.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$2,893 $2,893

-17.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$2,648 $2,648

-40.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,763 $4,763

$5,700 $5,700

-16.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$4,219 $4,219

-33.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 $3,588

$9,235 $9,235

-61.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$8,116 $8,116

-69.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,275 $5,275

$5,594 $5,594

-5.71%

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 Santa Cruz, CA: October 27, 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