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 1.5% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 36.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 15.1% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 25.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 $22.77

$20.59 $20.59

10.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$99.0 $99.0

-19.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 $12.36

$11.90 $11.90

3.87%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$5.83 $5.83

2.57%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$3.02 $3.02

6.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.48 $2.48

3.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$6.80 $6.80

4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 $7.47

$8.13 $8.13

-8.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.08 $1.08

32.41%

White Bread (500g)

$4.95 $4.95

$4.05 $4.05

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$5.58 $5.58

23.30%

Eggs

$6.18 $6.18

$4.57 $4.57

35.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.84 $23.84

$14.16 $14.16

68.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 $14.73

$15.25 $15.25

-3.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.71 $23.71

$18.90 $18.90

25.45%

Apples (1kg)

$7.01 $7.01

$5.27 $5.27

33.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.70 $1.70

70.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$4.25 $4.25

24.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$4.58 $4.58

66.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.44 $2.44

58.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.83 $2.83

34.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.51 $2.51

14.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.71 $2.71

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 $13.81

$15.02 $15.02

-8.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$30.56 $30.56

$16.28 $16.28

87.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.39 $2.39

-12.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.56 $3.56

-24.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.51 $2.51

-21.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.8 $64.8

$75.1 $75.1

-13.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.19 $3.19

29.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.42 $1.42

33.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.48 $38.48

$25.48 $25.48

51.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.10 $1.10

14.55%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$31.6K $31.6K

12.03%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.1K $26.1K

-1.95%

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

$218 $218

$186 $186

17.53%

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

$47.68 $47.68

$61.5 $61.5

-22.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$66.5 $66.5

1.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.5 $59.5

$77.8 $77.8

-23.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 $12.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 $17.18

$14.86 $14.86

15.61%

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

$3,217 $3,217

$2,094 $2,094

53.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.0K $38.0K

$39.3K $39.3K

-3.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 $64.1

$65.2 $65.2

-1.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.47 $46.47

$50.7 $50.7

-8.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$96.6 $96.6

-17.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$143 $143

-19.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,933 $2,933

$2,309 $2,309

27.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 $2,600

$1,597 $1,597

62.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,642 $5,642

$4,723 $4,723

19.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,175 $4,175

$2,806 $2,806

48.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,981 $7,981

$3,787 $3,787

110.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.0K $11.0K

$2,494 $2,494

341.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,545 $5,545

$5,384 $5,384

3.00%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: January 12, 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

Similar cities

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Winterthur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Pasadena, CA

🇺🇸 United States

St Thomas

🇻🇮 Us Virgin Islands