Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Tuscaloosa, AL

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuscaloosa, AL: $2,166 a month against $3,072 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Tuscaloosa, AL
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Tuscaloosa, AL Living Index

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,072

/mo nomad

Tuscaloosa, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chicago, IL and in Tuscaloosa, AL

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chicago, IL and in Tuscaloosa, AL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,072 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,166 in Tuscaloosa, AL, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,072
Tuscaloosa, AL $2,166

A couple spends around $4,545 per month in Chicago, IL vs $3,241 in Tuscaloosa, AL, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,545
Tuscaloosa, AL $3,241

A family of three spends $6,019 per month in Chicago, IL vs $4,315 in Tuscaloosa, AL, rent included.

Chicago, IL $6,019
Tuscaloosa, AL $4,315

Chicago, IL costs about 42% more than Tuscaloosa, AL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chicago, IL and Tuscaloosa, AL sit above the global median – Chicago, IL by 127%, Tuscaloosa, AL by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$17.72 $17.72

15.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 $88.6

$73.0 $73.0

21.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 $12.85

$9.10 $9.10

41.21%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$5.38 $5.38

7.43%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$2.36 $2.36

16.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.65 $1.65

36.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$5.99 $5.99

14.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 $9.24

$6.97 $6.97

32.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.08 $1.08

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.61 $3.61

-1.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.99 $3.99

34.84%

Eggs

$4.55 $4.55

$4.25 $4.25

7.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$12.59 $12.59

8.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$14.49 $14.49

-2.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.06 $18.06

$13.07 $13.07

38.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$6.52 $6.52

-20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.59 $1.59

24.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$10.81 $10.81

-64.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$6.93 $6.93

-30.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.83 $2.83

-0.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.96 $3.96

-32.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.62 $2.62

-20.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.01 $2.01

50.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.90 $13.90

$8.31 $8.31

67.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$17.08 $17.08

-11.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.78 $1.78

47.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$5.10 $5.10

-32.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.3 $75.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$5.10 $5.10

-37.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.59 $1.59

6.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.90 $24.90

$29.98 $29.98

-16.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.87 $0.87

47.13%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$28.4K $28.4K

25.83%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.3K $26.3K

2.11%

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

$192 $192

$154 $154

24.58%

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

$69.6 $69.6

$55.2 $55.2

26.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$61.6 $61.6

0.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.79 $47.79

$58.4 $58.4

-18.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.10 $27.10

$40.41 $40.41

-32.94%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 $17.83

$15.28 $15.28

16.69%

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

$1,815 $1,815

$1,076 $1,076

68.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.6K $40.6K

$17.4K $17.4K

133.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 $66.2

$41.23 $41.23

60.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$30.87 $30.87

66.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$55.0 $55.0

87.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$73.0 $73.0

95.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,531 $2,531

$1,238 $1,238

104.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 $1,621

$956 $956

69.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,828 $4,828

$2,841 $2,841

69.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,734 $2,734

$1,540 $1,540

77.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,163 $4,163

$1,897 $1,897

119.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,723 $2,723

$1,880 $1,880

44.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,924 $4,924

$3,429 $3,429

43.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

6.63

2.26%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: November 3, 2026

Last update for Tuscaloosa, AL: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52.8%

Tuscaloosa, AL

$956 44.1% 41% $665

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$439 14.3%

Tuscaloosa, AL

$454 20.9% 3.3% $14

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$344 11.2%

Tuscaloosa, AL

$294 13.6% 14.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$324 10.5%

Tuscaloosa, AL

$271 12.5% 16.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.3%

Tuscaloosa, AL

$90 4.2% 45% $74

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$97 3.2%

Tuscaloosa, AL

$13 * 0.6% 86.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$83 2.7%

Tuscaloosa, AL

$89 4.1% 6.7% $5.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,531 in Chicago, IL versus $1,238 in Tuscaloosa, AL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 44% higher in Chicago, IL. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL versus $73 in Tuscaloosa, AL. Groceries tell a different story – $439 in Chicago, IL vs $454 in Tuscaloosa, AL – so Chicago, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 Tuscaloosa, AL

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

Same time as Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

99,600

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chicago, IL Tuscaloosa, AL 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
Tuscaloosa, AL

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chicago, IL vs Tuscaloosa, AL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,072 in Chicago, IL, $2,166 in Tuscaloosa, AL – Tuscaloosa, AL comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,608 per month in Chicago, IL and $3,249 in Tuscaloosa, AL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tuscaloosa, AL, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,238 there versus $2,531 in Chicago, IL.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL and $73 in Tuscaloosa, AL. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Chicago, IL – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,072 in Chicago, IL and $2,166 in Tuscaloosa, AL. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Tuscaloosa, AL – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Tuscaloosa, AL. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chicago, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.