Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Joliet, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Joliet, IL: $2,572 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Joliet, IL
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Joliet, IL Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Joliet, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Joliet, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY versus $2,572 in Joliet, IL.

New York, NY $4,938
Joliet, IL $2,572

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $3,769 in Joliet, IL.

New York, NY $7,273
Joliet, IL $3,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,608 in New York, NY versus $4,967 in Joliet, IL.

New York, NY $9,608
Joliet, IL $4,967

Living in New York, NY is roughly 92% more expensive than in Joliet, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 264% above, Joliet, IL 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$18.77 $18.77

33.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$75.3 $75.3

59.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$10.95 $10.95

25.48%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$5.22 $5.22

26.44%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.47 $2.47

54.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.99 $1.99

44.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$6.11 $6.11

30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.04 $7.04

42.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.04 $1.04

31.73%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.47 $3.47

36.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$4.40 $4.40

74.77%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$4.27 $4.27

37.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$12.50 $12.50

54.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$11.49 $11.49

55.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$15.28 $15.28

24.54%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.88 $4.88

37.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.64 $1.64

39.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.22 $4.22

51.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.78 $4.78

41.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.81 $2.81

39.86%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.85 $2.85

58.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.07 $2.07

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.20 $2.20

14.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$9.66 $9.66

87.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$13.80 $13.80

46.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.77 $1.77

84.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.40 $3.40

10.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.04 $2.04

43.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.60 $3.60

-15.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.59 $1.59

35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$28.95 $28.95

42.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.91 $0.91

23.08%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$29.8K $29.8K

11.10%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.9K $25.9K

-0.73%

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

$219 $219

$186 $186

18.20%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$53.2 $53.2

41.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$66.6 $66.6

5.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$42.59 $42.59

171.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$13.61 $13.61

57.02%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,282 $1,282

167.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$23.9K $23.9K

158.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$50.8 $50.8

47.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$39.24 $39.24

32.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$85.6 $85.6

36.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$112 $112

20.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,619 $1,619

168.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,352 $1,352

130.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,600 $2,600

250.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$2,250 $2,250

139.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$2,825 $2,825

582.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$2,490 $2,490

178.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.51

5.22%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Last update for Joliet, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Joliet, IL

$1.4K 52.6% 56.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Joliet, IL

$388 15.1% 29.8% $165

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Joliet, IL

$308 12% 24.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Joliet, IL

$305 11.9% 16.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Joliet, IL

$129 5% 24% $41

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Joliet, IL

$20 * 0.8% 88.3% $148

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Joliet, IL

$70 2.7% 55.9% $88

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,347 in New York, NY and $1,619 in Joliet, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $120 in New York, NY vs $75.0 in Joliet, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $552 vs $388 per month, with Joliet, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Joliet, IL

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

150,362

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Joliet, IL 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Joliet, 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 York, NY vs Joliet, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Joliet, IL differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($4,938 vs $2,572 including rent). Joliet, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $7,407 in New York, NY and $3,857 in Joliet, IL to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $4,347 in New York, NY versus $1,619 in Joliet, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,432 in New York, NY versus $1,282 in Joliet, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Joliet, IL – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $120 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Joliet, IL is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, New York, NY and Joliet, 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 Joliet, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.