Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, CA and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, CA and Chicago, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Ana, CA is 6.9% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 6.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Ana, CA is 19.9% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.18 $18.18

$20.82 $20.82

-12.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.4 $85.4

$100 $100

-14.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.89 $14.89

$11.97 $11.97

24.39%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$5.56 $5.56

-9.89%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$3.11 $3.11

-15.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.42 $2.42

-17.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 $6.96

$6.86 $6.86

1.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$8.45 $8.45

-17.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.04 $1.04

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.15 $4.15

-4.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$5.52 $5.52

-13.59%

Eggs

$7.02 $7.02

$4.65 $4.65

50.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$14.33 $14.33

-14.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.11 $16.11

$14.88 $14.88

8.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.64 $14.64

$19.34 $19.34

-24.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$5.17 $5.17

-14.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.71 $1.71

1.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$4.41 $4.41

-6.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$4.51 $4.51

27.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.53 $2.53

25.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.74 $2.74

2.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2 $2

$2.43 $2.43

-17.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.7 $2.7

-21.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.06 $11.06

$15.19 $15.19

-27.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$16.42 $16.42

-39.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2 $2

$2.35 $2.35

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.7 $3.7

-7.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.53 $2.53

-20.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 $69.9

$74.1 $74.1

-5.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.7 $6.7

$3.34 $3.34

100.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.42 $1.42

88.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.25 $29.25

$25.42 $25.42

15.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.08 $1.08

18.52%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$32.4K $32.4K

-25.43%

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

$24K $24K

$26.2K $26.2K

-8.39%

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

$158 $158

$188 $188

-16.26%

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

$46.15 $46.15

$63.7 $63.7

-27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 $58.9

$65.2 $65.2

-9.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.79 $24.79

$76.7 $76.7

-67.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.09 $10.09

$13.03 $13.03

-22.56%

Cinema Ticket

$14.24 $14.24

$14.93 $14.93

-4.62%

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

$1,227 $1,227

$2,063 $2,063

-40.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$39.2K $39.2K

-40.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.81 $46.81

$64.3 $64.3

-27.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.21 $34.21

$52.4 $52.4

-34.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$95.2 $95.2

-10.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 $86.6

$145 $145

-40.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,221 $2,221

$2,378 $2,378

-6.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,914 $1,914

$1,584 $1,584

20.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,055 $3,055

$4,763 $4,763

-35.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,241 $3,241

$2,815 $2,815

15.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,331 $4,331

$3,588 $3,588

20.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 $4,273

$2,490 $2,490

71.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,913 $3,913

$5,275 $5,275

-25.82%

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 Santa Ana, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria