Cost of living comparison
Chicago is 33.6% more expensive than Australia.
If you lived in Chicago instead of Australia, you would:
pay 24.1% more for restaurants
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.76
A$25.77
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.73
A$14.97
|
$11.34
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
A$3.94
|
$3.02
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
A$3.33
|
$2.44
|
|
pay 31.6% more for groceries
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.37
A$3.65
|
$4.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.36
A$6.71
|
$7.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.80
A$8.92
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.07
A$6.26
|
$3.75
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.94
A$6.06
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.45
A$2.23
|
$2.44
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.26
A$1.93
|
$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.08
|
$2.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.01
A$3.10
|
$2.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.12
A$1.72
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.96
A$1.48
|
$1.37
|
|
pay 6.7% less for transportation
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.65
A$7.15
|
$4.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$83.03
A$127.68
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,742.09
A$42,660.46
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.38
A$28.26
|
$14.43
|
|
pay 38.6% more for housing
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$55.59
A$85.49
|
$58.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,182.30
A$1,818.09
|
$2,360.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$957.92
A$1,473.05
|
$1,512.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$138.16
A$212.46
|
$126.63
|
|
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,485.91
A$2,284.97
|
$2,475.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,667.78
A$22,555.42
|
$42,300.00
|
|
pay 14.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.64
A$10.22
|
$7.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.55
A$5.45
|
$5.30
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$28.07
A$43.17
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.89
A$81.33
|
$72.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.13
A$20.19
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 5.2% more for clothing
|
Australia
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$71.78
A$110.37
|
$64.98
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.24
A$77.25
|
$51.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.30
A$154.23
|
$97.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.73
A$171.81
|
$146.00
|
|
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