Cost of Living Comparison Between San Marcos, TX and Des Plaines, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between San Marcos, TX and Des Plaines, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: San Marcos, TX is 7.9% cheaper than Des Plaines, IL without rent, and 0.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: San Marcos, TX is 3.2% cheaper than Des Plaines, IL without rent, and 2.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 $19.24

$14.84 $14.84

29.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.8 $69.8

$81.2 $81.2

-14.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$10.91 $10.91

-9.99%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$5.47 $5.47

-13.35%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$2.72 $2.72

5.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.33 $2.33

-6.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.1 $6.1

$5.92 $5.92

3.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$7.18 $7.18

-0.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.87 $0.87

9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.97 $3.97

-23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$5.09 $5.09

-32.61%

Eggs

$3.84 $3.84

$4.01 $4.01

-4.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 $9.64

$13.81 $13.81

-30.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 $12.24

$13.53 $13.53

-9.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.02 $17.02

$16.24 $16.24

4.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.37 $4.37

-6.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.67 $1.67

-26.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$4.2 $4.2

-4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$4.57 $4.57

-45.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.54 $2.54

12.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.73 $2.73

-16.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.03 $2.03

-8.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.05 $2.05

6.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.89 $7.89

$14.7 $14.7

-46.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 $12.15

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.3 $2.3

-12.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.72 $3.72

0.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.98 $1.98

-1.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 $3.92

$4.37 $4.37

-10.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.44 $1.44

29.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.57 $29.57

$24.7 $24.7

19.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.09 $1.09

-29.36%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$25K $25K

29.09%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$25.5K $25.5K

1.19%

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

$192 $192

$187 $187

2.82%

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

$62.4 $62.4

$51.4 $51.4

21.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 $66.4

$67.4 $67.4

-1.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 $67.7

$42.76 $42.76

58.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.19 $40.19

Cinema Ticket

$15.15 $15.15

$14.78 $14.78

2.50%

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

$661 $661

$1,616 $1,616

-59.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$24.2K $24.2K

-20.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.5 $46.5

$64.1 $64.1

-27.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.01 $45.01

$48.05 $48.05

-6.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$95.8 $95.8

3.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$134 $134

-8.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 $1,344

$1,598 $1,598

-15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 $1,389

$1,341 $1,341

3.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,973 $2,973

$2,622 $2,622

13.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,424 $2,424

$2,228 $2,228

8.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,377 $2,377

$3,167 $3,167

-24.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,863 $1,863

$2,466 $2,466

-24.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,177 $3,177

$6,159 $6,159

-48.41%

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 San Marcos, TX: October 28, 2025

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 28, 2025

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