Cost of Living Comparison Between Schenectady, NY and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Schenectady, NY and Chicago, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: Schenectady, NY is 21.2% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 17.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Schenectady, NY is 3.6% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 30% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 $19.24

$20.82 $20.82

-7.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.4 $65.4

$100 $100

-34.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 $11.96

$11.97 $11.97

-0.08%

Cappuccino

$4.06 $4.06

$5.56 $5.56

-26.98%

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

$2.41 $2.41

$3.11 $3.11

-22.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.42 $2.42

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$6.86 $6.86

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 $5.98

$8.45 $8.45

-29.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1 $1

$1.04 $1.04

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.99 $3.99

$4.15 $4.15

-3.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$5.52 $5.52

0.54%

Eggs

$5.09 $5.09

$4.65 $4.65

9.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.4 $16.4

$14.33 $14.33

14.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$14.88 $14.88

-8.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.39 $17.39

$19.34 $19.34

-10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$5.17 $5.17

-11.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.71 $1.71

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$4.41 $4.41

8.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.8 $4.8

$4.51 $4.51

6.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.53 $2.53

28.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.74 $2.74

-10.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.43 $2.43

-23.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.7 $2.7

-33.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.17 $13.17

$15.19 $15.19

-13.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 $12.77

$16.42 $16.42

-22.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.35 $2.35

-25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.7 $3.7

-8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.53 $2.53

-39.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 $55.6

$74.1 $74.1

-25.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.34 $3.34

-7.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.42 $1.42

0.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.22 $27.22

$25.42 $25.42

7.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.08 $1.08

-13.89%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$32.4K $32.4K

-6.22%

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

$26K $26K

$26.2K $26.2K

-1.00%

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

$209 $209

$188 $188

11.14%

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

$58.3 $58.3

$63.7 $63.7

-8.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.1 $76.1

$65.2 $65.2

16.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 $70.5

$76.7 $76.7

-8.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

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

$1,414 $1,414

$2,063 $2,063

-31.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K $28.1K

$39.2K $39.2K

-28.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.04 $48.04

$64.3 $64.3

-25.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.12 $44.12

$52.4 $52.4

-15.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85 $85

$95.2 $95.2

-10.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$145 $145

10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 $1,324

$2,378 $2,378

-44.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 $1,106

$1,584 $1,584

-30.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$4,763 $4,763

-54.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 $1,461

$2,815 $2,815

-48.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,384 $2,384

$3,588 $3,588

-33.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,335 $2,335

$2,490 $2,490

-6.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,901 $3,901

$5,275 $5,275

-26.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.6

-2.27%

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

Last update for Schenectady, NY: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Paris

🇫🇷 France

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada