Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New City, NY and Chicago, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Chicago, IL: $3,185 a month against $4,580 in New City, NY, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in New City, NY outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

223

Cost of Living Index in New City, NY
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New City, NY Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index

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New City, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,580

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New City, NY and in Chicago, IL

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

A single person spends $4,580 per month in New City, NY vs $3,185 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

New City, NY $4,580
Chicago, IL $3,185

A couple spends around $6,397 per month in New City, NY vs $4,631 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

New City, NY $6,397
Chicago, IL $4,631

A family of three spends $8,214 per month in New City, NY vs $6,077 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

New City, NY $8,214
Chicago, IL $6,077

New City, NY costs about 44% more than Chicago, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New City, NY and Chicago, IL sit above the global median – New City, NY by 239%, Chicago, IL by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.87 $13.87

$21.58 $21.58

-35.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 $85.5

$88.7 $88.7

-3.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.91 $10.91

$13.20 $13.20

-17.35%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$5.59 $5.59

-0.54%

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

$2.13 $2.13

$2.63 $2.63

-19.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.26 $2.26

-32.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$7.11 $7.11

9.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$9.23 $9.23

-11.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.28 $1.28

-4.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.84 $3.84

11.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$5.07 $5.07

27.61%

Eggs

$5.82 $5.82

$4.84 $4.84

20.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 $12.33

$14.17 $14.17

-12.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.67 $11.67

$14.61 $14.61

-20.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.33 $17.33

$18.76 $18.76

-7.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$5.19 $5.19

2.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.00 $2.00

-36.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$4.00 $4.00

61.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.36 $6.36

$4.98 $4.98

27.71%

Potato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.79 $2.79

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.65 $2.65

45.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.13 $2.13

8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 $1.17

$3.09 $3.09

-62.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 $11.51

$16.05 $16.05

-28.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 $9.83

$15.20 $15.20

-35.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.62 $2.62

-35.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.46 $3.46

55.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.47 $2.47

13.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 $127

$75.1 $75.1

69.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.21 $3.21

-9.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.39 $1.39

43.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.86 $23.86

$25.02 $25.02

-4.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.24 $1.24

-11.29%

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

$31.5K $31.5K

$37.2K $37.2K

-15.30%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

-0.01%

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

$201 $201

$192 $192

4.50%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$67.8 $67.8

11.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 $64.9

$60.9 $60.9

6.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 $53.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.90 $27.90

Cinema Ticket

$14.31 $14.31

$17.80 $17.80

-19.61%

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

$1,961 $1,961

$1,554 $1,554

26.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$31.4K $31.4K

-25.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.04 $41.04

$67.9 $67.9

-39.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 $58.0

$50.8 $50.8

14.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 $70.7

$101 $101

-30.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$143 $143

5.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,074 $3,074

$2,383 $2,383

28.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,205 $3,205

$1,712 $1,712

87.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,671 $5,671

$4,674 $4,674

21.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,124 $5,124

$2,738 $2,738

87.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 $4,158

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,691 $2,691

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,040 $8,040

$4,894 $4,894

64.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.77

-2.22%

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

Last update for New City, NY: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New City, NY

$3.2K 70%

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53.8% 46.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

New City, NY

$430 9.4%

Chicago, IL

$451 14.2% 4.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New City, NY

$341 7.5%

Chicago, IL

$321 10.1% 5.9% $20

Eating Out

New City, NY

$280 6.1%

Chicago, IL

$353 11.1% 25.9% $73

Getting Around

New City, NY

$151 3.3%

Chicago, IL

$95 3% 37.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

New City, NY

$144 3.2%

Chicago, IL

$164 5.1% 13.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

New City, NY

$29 * 0.6%

Chicago, IL

$89 2.8% 212% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,074 in New City, NY versus $2,383 in Chicago, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 64% higher in New City, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in New City, NY versus $89.0 in Chicago, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $451 – making New City, NY the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New City, NY

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

19:16 7:16 PM

1 h behind New City, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,135

2,746,388

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

New City, NY Chicago, IL 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

New City, NY
Chicago, 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

New City, NY vs Chicago, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,580 in New City, NY, $3,185 in Chicago, IL – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,870 per month in New City, NY and $4,777 in Chicago, IL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chicago, IL, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in New City, NY – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in New City, NY and $89.0 in Chicago, IL. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,580 in New City, NY and $3,185 in Chicago, IL. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chicago, IL has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,185 in Chicago, IL to $4,580 in New City, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chicago, IL. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New City, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.