Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Des Plaines, IL: $3,073 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
Learn more

Des Plaines, IL Living Index
245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Des Plaines, IL and in New York, NY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL versus $5,142 in New York, NY.

Des Plaines, IL $3,073
New York, NY $5,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL versus $7,455 in New York, NY.

Des Plaines, IL $4,412
New York, NY $7,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL versus $9,767 in New York, NY.

Des Plaines, IL $5,750
New York, NY $9,767

Living in Des Plaines, IL costs roughly 40% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Plaines, IL 129% above, New York, NY 284% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 $20.88

$26.46 $26.46

-21.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 $89.5

$119 $119

-24.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.87 $12.87

$14.43 $14.43

-10.81%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$6.55 $6.55

-13.74%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$3.84 $3.84

-32.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.00 $3.00

-22.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$8.27 $8.27

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$10.05 $10.05

-20.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.31 $1.31

-27.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$4.90 $4.90

-28.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$7.16 $7.16

-40.92%

Eggs

$4.16 $4.16

$5.92 $5.92

-29.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.67 $14.67

$19.06 $19.06

-23.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$17.38 $17.38

-25.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.95 $18.95

$18.94 $18.94

0.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$6.96 $6.96

-31.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.08 $2.08

-21.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$6.10 $6.10

-31.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$6.95 $6.95

-30.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.98 $3.98

-33.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$4.44 $4.44

-38.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.81 $2.81

-23.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.51 $2.51

-3.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$19.27 $19.27

-44.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$19.67 $19.67

-24.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.08 $3.08

-17.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.68 $3.68

-4.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.02 $3.02

-33.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 $60.8

$140 $140

-56.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.07 $3.07

3.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.13 $2.13

-35.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 $24.93

$41.21 $41.21

-39.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.11 $1.11

-5.41%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$35.0K $35.0K

2.65%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$25.4K $25.4K

-2.25%

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

$195 $195

$217 $217

-10.37%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$74.0 $74.0

-18.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$72.5 $72.5

6.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 $125

$120 $120

3.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 $40.72

$66.9 $66.9

-39.12%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$22.32 $22.32

-32.08%

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

$1,545 $1,545

$3,425 $3,425

-54.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$61.2K $61.2K

-61.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$76.3 $76.3

-14.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$55.5 $55.5

-8.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$119 $119

-15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$131 $131

-6.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 $2,093

$4,506 $4,506

-53.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$3,155 $3,155

-51.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,861 $3,861

$8,817 $8,817

-56.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$5,532 $5,532

-54.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,174 $3,174

$19.4K $19.4K

-83.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,521 $2,521

$6,754 $6,754

-62.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,220 $6,220

$5,290 $5,290

17.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

6.82

-0.73%

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

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2% 107% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14%

New York, NY

$546 11% 30.4% $127

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 22.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 9.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 6.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 12.4% $19

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 110% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL and $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $119 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $546 per month, with Des Plaines, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

19:55 7:55 PM

1 h ahead of Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

8,804,190

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Des Plaines, IL New York, NY 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, IL
New York, NY

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

Des Plaines, IL vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Des Plaines, IL and New York, NY differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($3,073 vs $5,142 including rent). Des Plaines, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Des Plaines, IL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL versus $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Des Plaines, IL – a meal for two runs $89.0 versus $119 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Des Plaines, IL is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Des Plaines, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.