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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Clara, CA is 9.9% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 33.8% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Clara, CA is 3.1% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 30.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.75 $24.75

$20.82 $20.82

18.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 $112

$100 $100

11.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.76 $13.76

$11.97 $11.97

14.95%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$5.56 $5.56

9.17%

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

$3.39 $3.39

$3.11 $3.11

9.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.42 $2.42

5.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.76 $8.76

$6.86 $6.86

27.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$8.45 $8.45

5.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.04 $1.04

38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.15 $4.15

18.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$5.52 $5.52

-44.57%

Eggs

$5.46 $5.46

$4.65 $4.65

17.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.17 $21.17

$14.33 $14.33

47.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.81 $14.81

$14.88 $14.88

-0.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.98 $22.98

$19.34 $19.34

18.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$5.17 $5.17

20.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.71 $1.71

64.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.41 $4.41

12.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$4.51 $4.51

50.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.53 $2.53

37.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.74 $2.74

43.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.9 $2.9

$2.43 $2.43

19.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.7 $2.7

5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.22 $11.22

$15.19 $15.19

-26.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$16.42 $16.42

-26.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.35 $2.35

-3.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.2 $3.2

$3.7 $3.7

-13.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.53 $2.53

15.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 $68.7

$74.1 $74.1

-7.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.34 $3.34

26.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.42 $1.42

37.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.74 $29.74

$25.42 $25.42

16.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.08 $1.08

22.22%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$32.4K $32.4K

-6.84%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.2K $26.2K

3.65%

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

$224 $224

$188 $188

18.92%

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

$48.72 $48.72

$63.7 $63.7

-23.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$65.2 $65.2

4.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.2 $98.2

$76.7 $76.7

28.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.61 $12.61

$13.03 $13.03

-3.22%

Cinema Ticket

$16.92 $16.92

$14.93 $14.93

13.33%

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

$1,947 $1,947

$2,063 $2,063

-5.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.1K $26.1K

$39.2K $39.2K

-33.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 $56.9

$64.3 $64.3

-11.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.22 $44.22

$52.4 $52.4

-15.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 $86.8

$95.2 $95.2

-8.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$145 $145

-6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,997 $2,997

$2,378 $2,378

26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 $2,366

$1,584 $1,584

49.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,299 $4,299

$4,763 $4,763

-9.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,314 $4,314

$2,815 $2,815

53.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,748 $8,748

$3,588 $3,588

143.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,968 $8,968

$2,490 $2,490

260.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,325 $8,325

$5,275 $5,275

57.83%

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 Santa Clara, CA: October 26, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

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