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

🙂 Solo nomad: Merced, CA is 2.3% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 17.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Merced, CA is 28.6% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 23.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 $20.02

$20.82 $20.82

-3.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.51 $40.51

$100 $100

-59.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.54 $11.54

$11.97 $11.97

-3.59%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$5.56 $5.56

1.80%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$3.11 $3.11

-4.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.42 $2.42

-15.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.09 $9.09

$6.86 $6.86

32.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.08 $10.08

$8.45 $8.45

19.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.04 $1.04

18.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.7 $2.7

$4.15 $4.15

-34.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$5.52 $5.52

-42.21%

Eggs

$5.04 $5.04

$4.65 $4.65

8.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$14.33 $14.33

-22.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$14.88 $14.88

2.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.42 $17.42

$19.34 $19.34

-9.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$5.17 $5.17

9.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.71 $1.71

47.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$4.41 $4.41

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$4.51 $4.51

-5.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.53 $2.53

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.74 $2.74

18.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.43 $2.43

-58.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.7 $2.7

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$15.19 $15.19

-32.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 $18.56

$16.42 $16.42

13.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.35 $2.35

-3.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.7 $3.7

-11.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.53 $2.53

-39.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 $59.3

$74.1 $74.1

-20.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.34 $3.34

-8.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.42 $1.42

21.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.68 $26.68

$25.42 $25.42

4.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.08 $1.08

16.67%

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

$30K $30K

$32.4K $32.4K

-7.36%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.2K $26.2K

3.93%

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

$278 $278

$188 $188

47.77%

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

$35.23 $35.23

$63.7 $63.7

-44.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67 $67

$65.2 $65.2

2.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.04 $33.04

$76.7 $76.7

-56.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.83 $13.83

$13.03 $13.03

6.14%

Cinema Ticket

$15.63 $15.63

$14.93 $14.93

4.69%

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

$1,959 $1,959

$2,063 $2,063

-5.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K $26.3K

$39.2K $39.2K

-32.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$64.3 $64.3

-16.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.27 $44.27

$52.4 $52.4

-15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 $89.3

$95.2 $95.2

-6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$145 $145

-5.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 $1,593

$2,378 $2,378

-33.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 $1,099

$1,584 $1,584

-30.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$4,763 $4,763

-58.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 $1,917

$2,815 $2,815

-31.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,947 $2,947

$3,588 $3,588

-17.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,902 $2,902

$2,490 $2,490

16.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,525 $3,525

$5,275 $5,275

-33.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

6.6

-3.64%

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

Last update for Merced, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

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