Cost of Living Comparison Between Tuscaloosa, AL and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Tuscaloosa, AL and Chicago, IL

🙂 Solo nomad: Tuscaloosa, AL is 14.4% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 31.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Tuscaloosa, AL is 23.3% cheaper than Chicago, IL without rent, and 26.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 $16.52

$20.82 $20.82

-20.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 $63.5

$100 $100

-36.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 $9.95

$11.97 $11.97

-16.88%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$5.56 $5.56

-6.65%

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

$2.5 $2.5

$3.11 $3.11

-19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.42 $2.42

-33.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$6.86 $6.86

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 $6.41

$8.45 $8.45

-24.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.04 $1.04

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 $3.56

$4.15 $4.15

-14.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.77 $7.77

$5.52 $5.52

40.76%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$4.65 $4.65

-20.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.44 $12.44

$14.33 $14.33

-13.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 $14.38

$14.88 $14.88

-3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.27 $19.27

$19.34 $19.34

-0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$5.17 $5.17

26.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.71 $1.71

18.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$4.41 $4.41

152.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.13 $6.13

$4.51 $4.51

35.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.53 $2.53

-29.25%

Onion (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.74 $2.74

49.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.5 $2.5

$2.43 $2.43

2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.1 $2.1

$2.7 $2.7

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.65 $8.65

$15.19 $15.19

-43.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 $15.63

$16.42 $16.42

-4.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.35 $2.35

-25.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.7 $3.7

31.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.53 $2.53

-22.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 $74.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.34 $3.34

3.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.42 $1.42

4.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.3 $29.3

$25.42 $25.42

15.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.08 $1.08

-29.63%

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$32.4K $32.4K

-10.04%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.2K $26.2K

-2.98%

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

$183 $183

$188 $188

-2.85%

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

$53.4 $53.4

$63.7 $63.7

-16.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 $72.4

$65.2 $65.2

11.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.7 $58.7

$76.7 $76.7

-23.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.42 $39.42

$13.03 $13.03

202.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$14.93 $14.93

-1.14%

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

$1,288 $1,288

$2,063 $2,063

-37.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$39.2K $39.2K

-40.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.16 $44.16

$64.3 $64.3

-31.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.03 $31.03

$52.4 $52.4

-40.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.2 $56.2

$95.2 $95.2

-40.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 $68.6

$145 $145

-52.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 $1,110

$2,378 $2,378

-53.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 $774

$1,584 $1,584

-51.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,996 $2,996

$4,763 $4,763

-37.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 $1,821

$2,815 $2,815

-35.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,800 $1,800

$3,588 $3,588

-49.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,840 $1,840

$2,490 $2,490

-26.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,745 $3,745

$5,275 $5,275

-29.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

6.6

-1.52%

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

Last update for Tuscaloosa, AL: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria