Cost of Living Comparison Between Fresno, CA and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Fresno, CA and Chicago, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: Fresno, CA is 9.9% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 0.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Fresno, CA is 13.6% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 13.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$20.82 $20.82

-4.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 $69.9

$100 $100

-30.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.3 $11.3

$11.97 $11.97

-5.60%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$5.56 $5.56

-9.71%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$3.11 $3.11

-9.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.42 $2.42

-14.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$6.86 $6.86

18.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.76 $8.76

$8.45 $8.45

3.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.04 $1.04

-2.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.8 $2.8

$4.15 $4.15

-32.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$5.52 $5.52

-14.49%

Eggs

$4.51 $4.51

$4.65 $4.65

-3.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$14.33 $14.33

-27.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 $8.34

$14.88 $14.88

-43.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 $16.67

$19.34 $19.34

-13.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.17 $5.17

-16.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.71 $1.71

19.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.5 $3.5

$4.41 $4.41

-20.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.51 $4.51

-25.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.9 $2.9

$2.53 $2.53

14.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.74 $2.74

-25.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.43 $2.43

-20.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.7 $2.7

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.33 $11.33

$15.19 $15.19

-25.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 $14.77

$16.42 $16.42

-10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.35 $2.35

-25.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.6 $5.6

$3.7 $3.7

51.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.53 $2.53

-49.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.12 $45.12

$74.1 $74.1

-39.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.34 $3.34

4.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.42 $1.42

45.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.33 $25.33

$25.42 $25.42

-0.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.08 $1.08

12.96%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$32.4K $32.4K

13.65%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$26.2K $26.2K

10.31%

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

$305 $305

$188 $188

61.84%

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

$51 $51

$63.7 $63.7

-20.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.5 $83.5

$65.2 $65.2

28.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.8 $72.8

$76.7 $76.7

-5.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.5 $76.5

$13.03 $13.03

487.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 $14.36

$14.93 $14.93

-3.82%

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

$957 $957

$2,063 $2,063

-53.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K $13.1K

$39.2K $39.2K

-66.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$64.3 $64.3

-12.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.1 $47.1

$52.4 $52.4

-10.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.1 $74.1

$95.2 $95.2

-22.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 $168

$145 $145

16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$2,378 $2,378

-32.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 $1,518

$1,584 $1,584

-4.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,367 $2,367

$4,763 $4,763

-50.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,300 $2,300

$2,815 $2,815

-18.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,793 $2,793

$3,588 $3,588

-22.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,726 $2,726

$2,490 $2,490

9.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,602 $3,602

$5,275 $5,275

-31.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.6

-1.36%

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

Last update for Fresno, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Paris

🇫🇷 France

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia