Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Twin Falls, ID

For one person, living is cheaper in Twin Falls, ID: $2,291 a month against $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Twin Falls, ID
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Twin Falls, ID Living Index

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Twin Falls, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,291

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chicago, IL and in Twin Falls, ID

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 Twin Falls, ID actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,037 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,291 in Twin Falls, ID, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,037
Twin Falls, ID $2,291

A couple spends around $4,518 per month in Chicago, IL vs $3,292 in Twin Falls, ID, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,518
Twin Falls, ID $3,292

A family of three spends $5,999 per month in Chicago, IL vs $4,292 in Twin Falls, ID, rent included.

Chicago, IL $5,999
Twin Falls, ID $4,292

Chicago, IL costs about 33% more than Twin Falls, ID, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chicago, IL and Twin Falls, ID sit above the global median – Chicago, IL by 123%, Twin Falls, ID by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 $20.71

$16.39 $16.39

26.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 $89.2

$45.65 $45.65

95.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 $13.19

$11.78 $11.78

11.97%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$6.10 $6.10

-7.21%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.05 $2.05

28.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.97 $1.97

15.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$6.16 $6.16

11.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$6.36 $6.36

38.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.87 $0.87

43.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.94 $3.94

-5.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$6.16 $6.16

-12.50%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$4.11 $4.11

15.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 $13.84

$11.26 $11.26

22.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$11.00 $11.00

30.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$14.81 $14.81

24.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$4.57 $4.57

14.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.84 $1.84

7.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$4.07 $4.07

-0.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$5.00 $5.00

-0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.86 $2.86

-6.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.71 $2.71

-1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.92 $1.92

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.54 $2.54

23.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 $13.82

$8.40 $8.40

64.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$15.20 $15.20

-2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.05 $2.05

23.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.33 $3.33

5.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.05 $2.05

18.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 $73.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.62 $2.62

21.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.48 $1.48

-6.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$23.75 $23.75

5.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.00 $1.00

20.00%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$33.7K $33.7K

3.94%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$25.9K $25.9K

2.94%

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

$194 $194

$175 $175

11.14%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$57.6 $57.6

20.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$64.6 $64.6

-4.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.90 $47.90

$34.70 $34.70

38.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 $27.34

Cinema Ticket

$17.81 $17.81

$12.43 $12.43

43.28%

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

$1,794 $1,794

$1,074 $1,074

67.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$24.0K $24.0K

33.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$47.32 $47.32

41.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$40.36 $40.36

29.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$89.2 $89.2

13.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$107 $107

34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$1,389 $1,389

81.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$1,092 $1,092

44.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,738 $4,738

$2,006 $2,006

136.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,767 $1,767

52.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$2,666 $2,666

57.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$2,681 $2,681

3.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$2,388 $2,388

106.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

6.52

4.45%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Twin Falls, ID: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52%

Twin Falls, ID

$1.1K 47.7% 30.8% $486

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7%

Twin Falls, ID

$397 17.3% 11.3% $50

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4%

Twin Falls, ID

$299 13.1% 13.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7%

Twin Falls, ID

$297 13% 8.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4%

Twin Falls, ID

$128 5.6% 22.1% $36

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1%

Twin Falls, ID

$18 * 0.8% 80.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8%

Twin Falls, ID

$60 2.6% 28.7% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,526 in Chicago, IL versus $1,389 in Twin Falls, ID. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chicago, IL are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL versus $46 in Twin Falls, ID. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $447 vs $397 – making Twin Falls, ID the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 Twin Falls, ID

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

1 h behind Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

49,764

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chicago, IL Twin Falls, ID 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
Twin Falls, ID

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 Twin Falls, ID: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,037 in Chicago, IL, $2,291 in Twin Falls, ID – Twin Falls, ID comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,555 per month in Chicago, IL and $3,437 in Twin Falls, ID. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Twin Falls, ID, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,389 there versus $2,526 in Chicago, IL.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL and $46 in Twin Falls, ID. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Chicago, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Twin Falls, ID, where all-in costs run around $2,291, than in Chicago, IL at $3,037. In Twin Falls, ID it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Twin Falls, ID – 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 Twin Falls, ID. 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.