Cost of living comparison
Chicago is 24.4% more expensive than Austin.
If you lived in Chicago instead of Austin, you would:
pay 19.5% more for restaurants
|
Austin
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$11.34
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.62
|
$3.02
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.21
|
$2.44
|
|
pay 18.5% more for groceries
|
Austin
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.60
|
$4.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.37
|
$7.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.37
|
$3.75
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.71
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.33
|
$2.44
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.69
|
$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$2.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.61
|
$2.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.25
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.25
|
$1.37
|
|
pay 20.5% more for transportation
|
Austin
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.04
|
$4.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,000.00
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.55
|
$14.43
|
|
pay 4.7% less for housing
|
Austin
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.43
|
$58.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,280.66
|
$2,360.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,508.91
|
$1,512.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.36
|
$126.63
|
|
pay 82.2% more for childcare
|
Austin
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,465.00
|
$2,475.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$21,625.00
|
$42,300.00
|
|
pay 30.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Austin
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$7.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.31
|
$5.30
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.50
|
$72.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.00
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 4.2% more for clothing
|
Austin
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$63.62
|
$64.98
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$52.38
|
$51.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.78
|
$97.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.79
|
$146.00
|
|
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