Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leipzig and Des Plaines, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Leipzig: $1,905 a month against $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Leipzig
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Leipzig Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index

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Leipzig

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,905

/mo nomad

Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leipzig and in Des Plaines, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,905 in Leipzig versus $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL.

Leipzig $1,905
Des Plaines, IL $3,023

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,947 in Leipzig versus $4,419 in Des Plaines, IL.

Leipzig $2,947
Des Plaines, IL $4,419

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,988 in Leipzig versus $5,815 in Des Plaines, IL.

Leipzig $3,988
Des Plaines, IL $5,815

Living in Leipzig costs roughly 37% less than in Des Plaines, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leipzig 41% above, Des Plaines, IL 124% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.77

$21.29 $21.29

-22.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 €70.0

$89.1 $89.1

-11.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 €9.87

$13.10 $13.10

-15.27%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.37

$5.68 $5.68

-33.27%

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

$3.82 €3.39

$2.61 $2.61

46.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$2.24 $2.24

40.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 €4.89

$7.05 $7.05

-21.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €3.99

$8.22 $8.22

-45.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.92 $0.92

39.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 €1.86

$3.40 $3.40

-38.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 €3.49

$4.20 $4.20

-6.43%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.37

$4.23 $4.23

-10.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.65

$14.74 $14.74

4.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.04 $13.04

-13.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.71 €19.31

$18.82 $18.82

15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.75

$4.61 $4.61

-32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.66 $1.66

24.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$4.16 $4.16

-48.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 €3.22

$4.92 $4.92

-26.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.71 $2.71

-52.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.72 $2.72

-53.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.09 $2.09

-30.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$2.45 $2.45

-59.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 €8.74

$10.90 $10.90

-9.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 €4.88

$14.97 $14.97

-63.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.57 $2.57

-57.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.35 $3.35

-56.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.96 $1.96

101.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €63.5

$60.0 $60.0

19.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 €3.45

$3.29 $3.29

17.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.36 $1.36

38.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.95 €23.97

$24.88 $24.88

8.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.99 $0.99

125.25%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$36.1K $36.1K

-8.94%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$25.7K $25.7K

48.14%

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

$310 €276

$192 $192

61.70%

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

$15.16 €13.49

$59.2 $59.2

-74.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.52 €39.60

$76.0 $76.0

-41.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.97 €36.44

$123 $123

-66.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.39 €30.59

$39.32 $39.32

-12.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 €11.98

$14.72 $14.72

-8.49%

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

$420 €373

$1,563 $1,563

-73.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$23.7K $23.7K

-45.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.9 €84.4

$64.9 $64.9

46.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.53 €37.83

$50.8 $50.8

-16.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 €78.8

$101 $101

-12.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$120 $120

7.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 €685

$2,084 $2,084

-63.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 €534

$1,548 $1,548

-61.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 €1,529

$3,937 $3,937

-56.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 €1,016

$2,485 $2,485

-54.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,020 €4,465

$3,279 $3,279

53.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 €2,052

$2,480 $2,480

-6.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,151 €2,802

$6,121 $6,121

-48.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

6.77

-42.54%

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

Last update for Leipzig: October 10, 2026

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leipzig

$601 31.5%

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 51.2% 158% $947

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leipzig

$370 19.4%

Des Plaines, IL

$327 10.8% 11.6% $43

Groceries & Markets

Leipzig

$330 17.3%

Des Plaines, IL

$418 13.8% 26.5% $88

Eating Out

Leipzig

$276 14.5%

Des Plaines, IL

$349 11.5% 26.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Leipzig

$160 8.4%

Des Plaines, IL

$151 5% 5.3% $8.5

Getting Around

Leipzig

$100 5.3%

Des Plaines, IL

$78 2.6% 22.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Leipzig

$68 3.6%

Des Plaines, IL

$152 5% 124% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Leipzig and $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 94% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Leipzig vs $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $418 per month, with Leipzig cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Leipzig

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

7 h behind Leipzig

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,718

60,675

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Leipzig Des Plaines, IL 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Leipzig
Des Plaines, IL

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

Leipzig vs Des Plaines, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leipzig and Des Plaines, IL differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,905 vs $3,023 including rent). Leipzig is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 94% lower in Des Plaines, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $771 in Leipzig versus $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Leipzig – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,905 in Leipzig versus $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Leipzig but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Leipzig the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Leipzig and Des Plaines, IL are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Leipzig gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.