Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and West New York, NJ Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and West New York, NJ

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 3% more expensive than West New York, NJ without rent, and 15.7% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 2.4% cheaper than West New York, NJ without rent, and 14.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.53 $20.53

$16.71 $16.71

22.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$99.7 $99.7

1.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$12.20 $12.20

-1.39%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$4.96 $4.96

13.31%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$2.35 $2.35

30.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.12 $1.12

116.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$6.13 $6.13

13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$7.18 $7.18

12.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.28 $1.28

-15.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$4.29 $4.29

-7.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$5.58 $5.58

-1.08%

Eggs

$4.55 $4.55

$5.05 $5.05

-9.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$13.81 $13.81

5.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.91 $14.91

$10.16 $10.16

46.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$19.51 $19.51

-3.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$5.57 $5.57

-4.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.49 $1.49

18.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$4.13 $4.13

5.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.09 $3.09

-17.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.62 $2.62

6.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.72 $2.72

-9.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.01 $2.01

32.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.74 $14.74

$12.20 $12.20

20.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$14.83 $14.83

2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.83 $1.83

33.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$4.52 $4.52

-18.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.54 $3.54

-28.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.5 $74.5

$123 $123

-39.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.93 $2.93

12.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.16 $2.16

-33.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.86 $24.86

$42.21 $42.21

-41.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.77 $0.77

41.56%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$23.7K $23.7K

32.00%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.7K $25.7K

4.13%

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

$187 $187

$84.3 $84.3

121.86%

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

$62.4 $62.4

$49.81 $49.81

25.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$59.4 $59.4

13.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.2 $75.2

$29.32 $29.32

156.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.17 $13.17

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$19.79 $19.79

-23.14%

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

$2,039 $2,039

$1,772 $1,772

15.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.3K $39.3K

$15.7K $15.7K

150.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 $64.0

$50.8 $50.8

25.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$78.8 $78.8

-35.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 $95.4

$87.7 $87.7

8.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$99.6 $99.6

44.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,355 $2,355

$1,825 $1,825

28.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$1,331 $1,331

21.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,728 $4,728

$2,638 $2,638

79.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,754 $2,754

$2,224 $2,224

23.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,803 $3,803

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,580 $2,580

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,738 $4,738

$5,205 $5,205

-8.96%

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: April 14, 2026

Last update for West New York, NJ: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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