Cost of Living Comparison Between Stanford, CA and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Stanford, CA and Chicago, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: Stanford, CA is 1.3% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Stanford, CA is 4% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 15.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$20.82 $20.82

-4.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$100 $100

-39.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.82 $14.82

$11.97 $11.97

23.81%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$5.56 $5.56

-7.55%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$3.11 $3.11

-15.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.42 $2.42

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 $7.41

$6.86 $6.86

8.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$8.45 $8.45

-4.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.04 $1.04

47.12%

White Bread (500g)

$4.9 $4.9

$4.15 $4.15

18.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.59 $6.59

$5.52 $5.52

19.38%

Eggs

$5.94 $5.94

$4.65 $4.65

27.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.42 $13.42

$14.33 $14.33

-6.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$14.88 $14.88

-18.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.14 $24.14

$19.34 $19.34

24.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$5.17 $5.17

24.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.71 $1.71

68.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$4.41 $4.41

19.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$4.51 $4.51

45.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.53 $2.53

33.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.74 $2.74

18.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.43 $2.43

-13.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.7 $2.7

2.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.73 $8.73

$15.19 $15.19

-42.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$16.42 $16.42

-10.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.35 $2.35

-25.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.7 $3.7

-11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.53 $2.53

-23.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 $4.18

$3.34 $3.34

25.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.42 $1.42

35.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.17 $39.17

$25.42 $25.42

54.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.08 $1.08

12.04%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$32.4K $32.4K

-6.24%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$26.2K $26.2K

0.59%

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

$247 $247

$188 $188

31.39%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$63.7 $63.7

1.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$65.2 $65.2

-5.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.78 $43.78

$76.7 $76.7

-42.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$16.82 $16.82

$14.93 $14.93

12.66%

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

$1,300 $1,300

$2,063 $2,063

-36.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.9K $37.9K

$39.2K $39.2K

-3.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 $44.12

$64.3 $64.3

-31.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.43 $46.43

$52.4 $52.4

-11.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 $64.4

$95.2 $95.2

-32.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$145 $145

2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 $1,633

$2,378 $2,378

-31.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 $1,377

$1,584 $1,584

-13.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,671 $2,671

$4,763 $4,763

-43.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 $2,184

$2,815 $2,815

-22.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,561 $2,561

$3,588 $3,588

-28.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 $2,746

$2,490 $2,490

10.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,945 $4,945

$5,275 $5,275

-6.25%

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 Stanford, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

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