Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Versailles

For one person, living is cheaper in Versailles: $2,485 a month against $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Versailles
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Versailles Living Index

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Versailles

🇫🇷 France

$2,485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chicago, IL and in Versailles

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 Versailles actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,037 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,485 in Versailles, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,037
Versailles $2,485

A couple spends around $4,518 per month in Chicago, IL vs $3,938 in Versailles, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,518
Versailles $3,938

A family of three spends $5,999 per month in Chicago, IL vs $5,390 in Versailles, rent included.

Chicago, IL $5,999
Versailles $5,390

Chicago, IL costs about 22% more than Versailles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chicago, IL and Versailles sit above the global median – Chicago, IL by 123%, Versailles by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 $20.71

$23.80 €21.33

-12.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 $89.2

$78.9 €70.7

13.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 $13.19

$11.38 €10.19

15.91%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$4.25 €3.81

33.18%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$3.55 €3.18

-25.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.09 €1.87

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$8.69 €7.79

-20.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$7.29 €6.53

21.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.44 €1.29

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.27 €2.04

63.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.81 €3.42

41.47%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$4.26 €3.82

11.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 $13.84

$11.20 €10.04

23.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$16.71 €14.97

-13.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$41.17 €36.89

-55.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$3.90 €3.49

33.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.17 €1.95

-8.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.43 €2.18

67.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.31 €2.96

50.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.62 €2.35

1.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.15 €1.92

23.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.08 €1.86

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$0.56 €0.50

458.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 $13.82

$13.36 €11.97

3.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$8.25 €7.40

80.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.27 €2.93

-22.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.29 €2.05

6.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 $73.5

$96.2 €86.2

-23.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

$5.68 €5.09

-44.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.43 €1.28

-2.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$41.77 €37.43

-40.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.98 €1.78

-39.39%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$34.1K €30.6K

2.60%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$36.5K €32.7K

-26.90%

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

$194 $194

$315 €282

-38.27%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$29.98 €26.87

131.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$38.39 €34.40

60.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.90 $47.90

$53.2 €47.65

-9.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 $27.34

$27.86 €24.96

-1.87%

Cinema Ticket

$17.81 $17.81

$14.77 €13.24

20.58%

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

$1,794 $1,794

$996 €893

80.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$10.1K €9,073

215.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$122 €110

-45.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$71.5 €64.0

-27.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$88.9 €79.7

14.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$153 €137

-5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$1,064 €953

137.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$920 €824

71.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,738 $4,738

$2,201 €1,972

115.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,967 €1,763

36.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$10.1K €9,011

-58.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$9,063 €8,122

-69.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$3,424 €3,068

44.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.81

78.74%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Versailles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52%

Versailles

$920 37% 41.7% $658

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7%

Versailles

$429 * 17.3% 4.1% $18

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4%

Versailles

$356 14.3% 3.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7%

Versailles

$383 15.4% 17.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4%

Versailles

$196 7.9% 19.4% $32

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1%

Versailles

$118 4.8% 26.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8%

Versailles

$83 3.3% 1% $0.8

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 $1,064 in Versailles. 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 $79 in Versailles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $447 vs $429 – making Versailles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇫🇷 Versailles

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

13:12 1:12 PM

7 h ahead of Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

83,587

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Chicago, IL Versailles 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
Versailles

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 Versailles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,037 in Chicago, IL, $2,485 in Versailles – Versailles comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,555 per month in Chicago, IL and $3,728 in Versailles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Versailles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,064 there versus $2,526 in Chicago, IL.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Chicago, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL and $79 in Versailles. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Versailles, where all-in costs run around $2,485, than in Chicago, IL at $3,037. In Versailles it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Versailles – 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 Versailles. 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.