Cost of living comparison
Chicago is 33.8% more expensive than Australia.
If you lived in Chicago instead of Australia, you would:
pay 25.0% more for restaurants
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.79
A$25.42
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.85
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
A$3.88
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
A$3.24
|
$2.40
|
|
pay 34.0% more for groceries
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.33
A$3.52
|
$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.71
A$7.14
|
$8.29
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.75
A$8.71
|
$4.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.86
A$5.84
|
$4.07
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.99
A$6.03
|
$6.78
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.43
A$2.16
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.25
A$1.89
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
A$2.10
|
$2.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.00
A$3.03
|
$2.24
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.13
A$1.71
|
$1.19
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.95
A$1.43
|
$1.35
|
|
pay 0.5% less for transportation
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.73
A$7.16
|
$4.22
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$84.46
A$127.85
|
$80.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,859.34
A$42,172.77
|
$37,383.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.12
A$27.44
|
$14.43
|
|
pay 35.0% more for housing
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$55.36
A$83.81
|
$57.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,258.08
A$1,904.45
|
$2,432.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$971.44
A$1,470.55
|
$1,517.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.88
A$214.78
|
$122.94
|
|
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,377.23
A$2,084.81
|
$2,170.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,720.56
A$22,283.61
|
$45,450.00
|
|
pay 13.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.69
A$10.13
|
$7.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.60
A$5.45
|
$5.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$28.13
A$42.59
|
$16.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$53.84
A$81.50
|
$76.63
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.24
A$20.04
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 3.9% less for clothing
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.27
A$113.95
|
$60.46
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.30
A$82.20
|
$53.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.43
A$155.06
|
$97.19
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.12
A$178.80
|
$130.31
|
|
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