Cost of Living Comparison Between Palo Alto, CA and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Palo Alto, CA and Chicago, IL

😐 Solo nomad: Palo Alto, CA is 27.4% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 62.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Palo Alto, CA is 27.5% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 54.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.92 $24.92

$20.82 $20.82

19.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 $111

$100 $100

10.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 $11.34

$11.97 $11.97

-5.26%

Cappuccino

$5.74 $5.74

$5.56 $5.56

3.24%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$3.11 $3.11

4.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.42 $2.42

4.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$6.86 $6.86

18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$8.45 $8.45

18.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.04 $1.04

41.35%

White Bread (500g)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.15 $4.15

20.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$5.52 $5.52

-42.21%

Eggs

$6.16 $6.16

$4.65 $4.65

32.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.55 $21.55

$14.33 $14.33

50.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.78 $14.78

$14.88 $14.88

-0.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.82 $22.82

$19.34 $19.34

17.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$5.17 $5.17

34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.71 $1.71

49.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$4.41 $4.41

9.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.51 $4.51

49.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.53 $2.53

53.75%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.74 $2.74

59.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.9 $2.9

$2.43 $2.43

19.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.7 $2.7

5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.11 $11.11

$15.19 $15.19

-26.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.33 $18.33

$16.42 $16.42

11.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.35 $2.35

-3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.7 $3.7

-9.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.53 $2.53

0.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 $89.6

$74.1 $74.1

20.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.34 $3.34

23.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.42 $1.42

33.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.51 $30.51

$25.42 $25.42

20.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.08 $1.08

17.59%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$32.4K $32.4K

-8.47%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.2K $26.2K

1.41%

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

$225 $225

$188 $188

19.37%

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

$47.97 $47.97

$63.7 $63.7

-24.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$65.2 $65.2

5.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$76.7 $76.7

57.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.88 $19.88

$13.03 $13.03

52.57%

Cinema Ticket

$15.78 $15.78

$14.93 $14.93

5.69%

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

$2,710 $2,710

$2,063 $2,063

31.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.7K $45.7K

$39.2K $39.2K

16.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$64.3 $64.3

-17.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.76 $44.76

$52.4 $52.4

-14.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 $89.3

$95.2 $95.2

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$145 $145

-6.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,473 $3,473

$2,378 $2,378

46.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,227 $3,227

$1,584 $1,584

103.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,889 $5,889

$4,763 $4,763

23.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,757 $5,757

$2,815 $2,815

104.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,539 $2,539

$3,588 $3,588

-29.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,123 $2,123

$2,490 $2,490

-14.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$10K $10K

$5,275 $5,275

89.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.6

-1.36%

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

Last update for Palo Alto, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Denmark

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Washington, DC

🇺🇸 United States

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States