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

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara, CA is 1.4% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 23.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 3.8% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 21.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.90 $24.90

$20.10 $20.10

23.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$102 $102

-2.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 $10.13

$12.02 $12.02

-15.72%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$5.62 $5.62

1.60%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$3.01 $3.01

-11.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.35 $2.35

-12.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 $7.78

$6.98 $6.98

11.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.07 $9.07

$8.45 $8.45

7.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.09 $1.09

22.94%

White Bread (500g)

$5.07 $5.07

$4.12 $4.12

23.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$5.57 $5.57

-17.24%

Eggs

$5.33 $5.33

$4.51 $4.51

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 $12.53

$14.42 $14.42

-13.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 $11.77

$15.02 $15.02

-21.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 $14.37

$18.98 $18.98

-24.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$5.20 $5.20

19.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.78 $1.78

2.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$4.34 $4.34

-11.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$4.53 $4.53

24.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.55 $2.55

23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.71 $2.71

9.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.49 $2.49

-14.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.63 $2.63

-19.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.05 $13.05

$15.12 $15.12

-13.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.25 $16.25

$14.91 $14.91

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.47 $2.47

-30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.66 $3.66

11.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.57 $2.57

-31.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.8 $63.8

$74.3 $74.3

-14.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.30 $3.30

86.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.37 $1.37

46.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.7 $51.7

$24.96 $24.96

107.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.06 $1.06

16.04%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$31.4K $31.4K

-10.85%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.2K $26.2K

-0.44%

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

$204 $204

$187 $187

9.26%

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

$53.9 $53.9

$63.0 $63.0

-14.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 $72.4

$65.8 $65.8

10.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 $67.2

$75.2 $75.2

-10.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.01 $18.01

$12.95 $12.95

39.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 $12.66

$15.13 $15.13

-16.33%

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

$1,428 $1,428

$2,067 $2,067

-30.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.0K $37.0K

$38.8K $38.8K

-4.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$64.0 $64.0

9.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.05 $41.05

$50.8 $50.8

-19.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 $77.3

$97.3 $97.3

-20.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$144 $144

0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,630 $2,630

$2,338 $2,338

12.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 $2,301

$1,614 $1,614

42.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 $5,234

$4,764 $4,764

9.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,468 $4,468

$2,762 $2,762

61.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,997 $9,997

$3,766 $3,766

165.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,952 $9,952

$2,614 $2,614

280.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,093 $5,093

$5,006 $5,006

1.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.6

1.21%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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