Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL

😐 Solo nomad: Los Angeles, CA is 6% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 18.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Los Angeles, CA is 6.8% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 15.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 $24.72

$20.82 $20.82

18.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.9 $99.9

$100 $100

-0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.93 $13.93

$11.97 $11.97

16.37%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$5.56 $5.56

5.58%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$3.11 $3.11

-4.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.42 $2.42

-4.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.67 $8.67

$6.86 $6.86

26.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.97 $9.97

$8.45 $8.45

17.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.04 $1.04

13.46%

White Bread (500g)

$4.4 $4.4

$4.15 $4.15

6.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$5.52 $5.52

5.98%

Eggs

$7.67 $7.67

$4.65 $4.65

64.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$14.33 $14.33

-12.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.17 $17.17

$14.88 $14.88

15.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.76 $19.76

$19.34 $19.34

2.17%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$5.17 $5.17

16.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.6 $2.6

$1.71 $1.71

52.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$4.41 $4.41

-2.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.51 $4.51

8.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.53 $2.53

17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.74 $2.74

-10.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.43 $2.43

-24.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.7 $2.7

-21.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.93 $11.93

$15.19 $15.19

-21.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$16.42 $16.42

-7.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.35 $2.35

10.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.7 $3.7

-11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.53 $2.53

-31.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 $82.7

$74.1 $74.1

11.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.34 $3.34

-5.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.42 $1.42

19.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.16 $29.16

$25.42 $25.42

14.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.08 $1.08

21.30%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$32.4K $32.4K

-2.25%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.2K $26.2K

2.29%

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

$180 $180

$188 $188

-4.26%

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

$67.2 $67.2

$63.7 $63.7

5.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$65.2 $65.2

9.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.48 $47.48

$76.7 $76.7

-38.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.61 $12.61

$13.03 $13.03

-3.22%

Cinema Ticket

$17.78 $17.78

$14.93 $14.93

19.09%

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

$1,778 $1,778

$2,063 $2,063

-13.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$39.2K $39.2K

-40.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$64.3 $64.3

-2.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.21 $47.21

$52.4 $52.4

-9.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$95.2 $95.2

6.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$145 $145

3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 $2,653

$2,378 $2,378

11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 $2,091

$1,584 $1,584

31.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,529 $4,529

$4,763 $4,763

-4.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,701 $3,701

$2,815 $2,815

31.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,588 $7,588

$3,588 $3,588

111.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,911 $6,911

$2,490 $2,490

177.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,595 $4,595

$5,275 $5,275

-12.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

6.6

-1.67%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

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