Cost of Living Comparison Between Middletown, NJ and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Middletown, NJ and Chicago, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: Middletown, NJ is 18% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 0.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Middletown, NJ is 24.8% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 6.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.89 $24.89

$20.82 $20.82

19.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86 $86

$100 $100

-14.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.58 $12.58

$11.97 $11.97

5.10%

Cappuccino

$5.89 $5.89

$5.56 $5.56

5.94%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$3.11 $3.11

4.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.42 $2.42

2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$6.86 $6.86

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$8.45 $8.45

-7.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1 $1

$1.04 $1.04

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.15 $4.15

-31.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$5.52 $5.52

1.27%

Eggs

$4.1 $4.1

$4.65 $4.65

-11.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$14.33 $14.33

-7.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$14.88 $14.88

-56.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.1 $13.1

$19.34 $19.34

-32.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$5.17 $5.17

-37.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.71 $1.71

-8.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$4.41 $4.41

-36.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$4.51 $4.51

-1.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.53 $2.53

-33.60%

Onion (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.74 $2.74

50.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.43 $2.43

2.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.7 $2.7

-8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.39 $9.39

$15.19 $15.19

-38.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.26 $20.26

$16.42 $16.42

23.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.35 $2.35

26.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.7 $3.7

1.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.53 $2.53

-21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.34 $3.34

47.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.42 $1.42

56.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.25 $42.25

$25.42 $25.42

66.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.08 $1.08

-10.19%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$32.4K $32.4K

8.17%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

4.77%

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

$178 $178

$188 $188

-5.16%

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

$59.1 $59.1

$63.7 $63.7

-7.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$65.2 $65.2

-8.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.86 $42.86

$76.7 $76.7

-44.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$19.6 $19.6

$14.93 $14.93

31.28%

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

$3,146 $3,146

$2,063 $2,063

52.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$39.2K $39.2K

-39.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.29 $49.29

$64.3 $64.3

-23.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.85 $48.85

$52.4 $52.4

-6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.3 $35.3

$95.2 $95.2

-62.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 $173

$145 $145

19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 $1,620

$2,378 $2,378

-31.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 $1,723

$1,584 $1,584

8.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,621 $2,621

$4,763 $4,763

-44.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,057 $3,057

$2,815 $2,815

8.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,356 $2,356

$3,588 $3,588

-34.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,531 $2,531

$2,490 $2,490

1.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,016 $4,016

$5,275 $5,275

-23.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

6.6

-2.42%

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

Last update for Middletown, NJ: October 29, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria