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

🙂 Solo nomad: Riverside, CA is 18.8% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 2% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Riverside, CA is 10.7% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 11.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$20.82 $20.82

-2.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 $83.9

$100 $100

-16.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$11.97 $11.97

-1.67%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$5.56 $5.56

-10.97%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$3.11 $3.11

-13.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.42 $2.42

-19.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 $6.91

$6.86 $6.86

0.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.2 $7.2

$8.45 $8.45

-14.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.04 $1.04

2.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4 $4

$4.15 $4.15

-3.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$5.52 $5.52

-26.99%

Eggs

$6.99 $6.99

$4.65 $4.65

50.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 $10.84

$14.33 $14.33

-24.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 $8.97

$14.88 $14.88

-39.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 $14.39

$19.34 $19.34

-25.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$5.17 $5.17

-33.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.71 $1.71

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.41 $4.41

-8.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.6 $5.6

$4.51 $4.51

24.17%

Potato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.53 $2.53

73.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.74 $2.74

19.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.43 $2.43

-41.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.7 $2.7

-18.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 $10.83

$15.19 $15.19

-28.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.15 $9.15

$16.42 $16.42

-44.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.6 $2.6

$2.35 $2.35

10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.8 $5.8

$3.7 $3.7

56.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.53 $2.53

-32.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 $59.6

$74.1 $74.1

-19.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.34 $3.34

200.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.42 $1.42

210.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.5 $29.5

$25.42 $25.42

16.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.08 $1.08

13.89%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$32.4K $32.4K

-26.14%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

-6.58%

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

$286 $286

$188 $188

52.12%

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

$47.35 $47.35

$63.7 $63.7

-25.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.5 $59.5

$65.2 $65.2

-8.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.04 $35.04

$76.7 $76.7

-54.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 $20.02

$13.03 $13.03

53.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.07 $14.07

$14.93 $14.93

-5.76%

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

$1,215 $1,215

$2,063 $2,063

-41.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$39.2K $39.2K

-41.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 $56.3

$64.3 $64.3

-12.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.87 $34.87

$52.4 $52.4

-33.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$95.2 $95.2

-10.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 $85.3

$145 $145

-41.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,086 $2,086

$2,378 $2,378

-12.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 $1,671

$1,584 $1,584

5.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,239 $3,239

$4,763 $4,763

-32.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 $2,485

$2,815 $2,815

-11.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,995 $3,995

$3,588 $3,588

11.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,071 $4,071

$2,490 $2,490

63.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,751 $3,751

$5,275 $5,275

-28.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.58

6.6

-0.30%

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

Last update for Riverside, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

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