Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterbury, CT and Chicago, IL Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterbury, CT and Chicago, IL

😐 Solo nomad: Waterbury, CT is 22.2% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 19.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Waterbury, CT is 22% more expensive than Chicago, IL without rent, and 11.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.55 $30.55

$20.82 $20.82

46.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 $92.1

$100 $100

-8.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$11.97 $11.97

-26.15%

Cappuccino

$4.78 $4.78

$5.56 $5.56

-14.03%

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

$3.2 $3.2

$3.11 $3.11

2.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.6 $2.6

$2.42 $2.42

7.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$6.86 $6.86

13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$8.45 $8.45

17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.04 $1.04

21.15%

White Bread (500g)

$5.02 $5.02

$4.15 $4.15

20.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.41 $8.41

$5.52 $5.52

52.36%

Eggs

$7.27 $7.27

$4.65 $4.65

56.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.08 $17.08

$14.33 $14.33

19.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.65 $16.65

$14.88 $14.88

11.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 $20.06

$19.34 $19.34

3.72%

Apples (1kg)

$7.67 $7.67

$5.17 $5.17

48.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.71 $1.71

30.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$4.41 $4.41

28.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$4.51 $4.51

41.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.53 $2.53

53.36%

Onion (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.74 $2.74

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.43 $2.43

25.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.7 $2.7

-5.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.52 $10.52

$15.19 $15.19

-30.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.27 $17.27

$16.42 $16.42

5.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.35 $2.35

27.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.7 $3.7

-11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.53 $2.53

-29.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 $63.1

$74.1 $74.1

-14.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.34 $3.34

50.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.42 $1.42

45.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.58 $42.58

$25.42 $25.42

67.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.9 $0.9

$1.08 $1.08

-16.67%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$32.4K $32.4K

9.17%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.2K $26.2K

6.41%

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

$178 $178

$188 $188

-5.49%

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

$59 $59

$63.7 $63.7

-7.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$65.2 $65.2

-4.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 $52.9

$76.7 $76.7

-31.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 $13.03

Cinema Ticket

$20.18 $20.18

$14.93 $14.93

35.16%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$2,063 $2,063

-35.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$57.1K $57.1K

$39.2K $39.2K

45.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.61 $42.61

$64.3 $64.3

-33.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.16 $44.16

$52.4 $52.4

-15.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 $71.8

$95.2 $95.2

-24.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$145 $145

-4.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 $1,500

$2,378 $2,378

-36.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,073 $2,073

$1,584 $1,584

30.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,644 $2,644

$4,763 $4,763

-44.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,314 $3,314

$2,815 $2,815

17.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,411 $2,411

$3,588 $3,588

-32.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,660 $2,660

$2,490 $2,490

6.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,578 $4,578

$5,275 $5,275

-13.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

6.6

-2.42%

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

Last update for Waterbury, CT: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Denmark

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

Miami, FL

🇺🇸 United States

Washington, DC

🇺🇸 United States

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States