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

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, CA is 8.3% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 40.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 2.2% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 23.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.44 $22.44

$20.82 $20.82

7.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$100 $100

-20.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 $12.36

$11.97 $11.97

3.26%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$5.56 $5.56

5.22%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$3.11 $3.11

9.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.42 $2.42

4.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$6.86 $6.86

1.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 $7.46

$8.45 $8.45

-11.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.04 $1.04

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$5.16 $5.16

$4.15 $4.15

24.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$5.52 $5.52

20.47%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$4.65 $4.65

28.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.24 $23.24

$14.33 $14.33

62.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.85 $14.85

$14.88 $14.88

-0.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.7 $23.7

$19.34 $19.34

22.54%

Apples (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$5.17 $5.17

36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.71 $1.71

62.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$4.41 $4.41

20.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$4.51 $4.51

66.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.53 $2.53

53.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.74 $2.74

43.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.9 $2.9

$2.43 $2.43

19.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.7 $2.7

5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 $14.16

$15.19 $15.19

-6.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$16.42 $16.42

-26.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.35 $2.35

-8.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.7 $3.7

-27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.53 $2.53

-18.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 $65.2

$74.1 $74.1

-12.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.34 $3.34

22.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.42 $1.42

35.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.9 $38.9

$25.42 $25.42

53.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.08 $1.08

14.81%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$32.4K $32.4K

7.66%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

0.92%

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

$221 $221

$188 $188

17.32%

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

$47.05 $47.05

$63.7 $63.7

-26.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$65.2 $65.2

4.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 $60.2

$76.7 $76.7

-21.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$17.04 $17.04

$14.93 $14.93

14.13%

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

$3,225 $3,225

$2,063 $2,063

56.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K $38.5K

$39.2K $39.2K

-1.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$64.3 $64.3

-1.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$52.4 $52.4

-10.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$95.2 $95.2

-16.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$145 $145

-20.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,893 $2,893

$2,378 $2,378

21.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,648 $2,648

$1,584 $1,584

67.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,700 $5,700

$4,763 $4,763

19.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,219 $4,219

$2,815 $2,815

49.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,235 $9,235

$3,588 $3,588

157.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,116 $8,116

$2,490 $2,490

225.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,594 $5,594

$5,275 $5,275

6.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

6.6

-3.64%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

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