Cost of Living Comparison Between Jersey City, NJ and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Jersey City, NJ and Chicago, IL

😐 Solo nomad: Jersey City, NJ is 1.8% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 27.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Jersey City, NJ is 1.3% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 13.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 $19.64

$20.82 $20.82

-5.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.3 $98.3

$100 $100

-2.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.75 $13.75

$11.97 $11.97

14.87%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$5.56 $5.56

-1.62%

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

$2.34 $2.34

$3.11 $3.11

-24.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.42 $2.42

-21.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.2 $7.2

$6.86 $6.86

4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.94 $8.94

$8.45 $8.45

5.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.04 $1.04

24.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 $3.87

$4.15 $4.15

-6.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$5.52 $5.52

-3.80%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$4.65 $4.65

0.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.11 $21.11

$14.33 $14.33

47.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$14.88 $14.88

-19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$19.34 $19.34

-11.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$5.17 $5.17

-5.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.71 $1.71

1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$4.41 $4.41

-8.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.3 $4.3

$4.51 $4.51

-4.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.53 $2.53

15.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.74 $2.74

40.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.43 $2.43

-2.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.7 $2.7

-2.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.01 $12.01

$15.19 $15.19

-20.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$16.42 $16.42

-7.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.35 $2.35

-25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.7 $3.7

58.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.53 $2.53

7.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.1 $94.1

$74.1 $74.1

26.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.34 $3.34

-12.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.42 $1.42

20.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.32 $24.32

$25.42 $25.42

-4.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.9 $0.9

$1.08 $1.08

-16.67%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$32.4K $32.4K

6.61%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$26.2K $26.2K

-1.47%

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

$125 $125

$188 $188

-33.63%

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

$45.77 $45.77

$63.7 $63.7

-28.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$65.2 $65.2

-2.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.5 $80.5

$76.7 $76.7

4.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.68 $43.68

$13.03 $13.03

235.23%

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 $17.07

$14.93 $14.93

14.33%

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

$2,228 $2,228

$2,063 $2,063

8.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$39.2K $39.2K

-39.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 $73.9

$64.3 $64.3

14.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.9 $63.9

$52.4 $52.4

21.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74 $74

$95.2 $95.2

-22.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$145 $145

-6.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,312 $3,312

$2,378 $2,378

39.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,412 $2,412

$1,584 $1,584

52.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,083 $6,083

$4,763 $4,763

27.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,621 $3,621

$2,815 $2,815

28.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,420 $7,420

$3,588 $3,588

106.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,834 $5,834

$2,490 $2,490

134.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,892 $5,892

$5,275 $5,275

11.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.6

0.30%

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

Last update for Jersey City, NJ: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

Dallas, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

Miami, FL

🇺🇸 United States

San Diego, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

Atlanta, GA

🇺🇸 United States