Cost of living comparison
California is 5.1% cheaper than Chicago.
If you lived in California instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 9.1% less for restaurants
Chicago
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$21.02
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.34
|
$11.52
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$2.71
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.16
|
|
pay 1.8% more for groceries
Chicago
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.19
|
$4.14
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.87
|
$6.95
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$4.61
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.75
|
$4.33
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$5.70
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$2.34
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$0.92
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.91
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$2.38
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.39
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$1.44
|
|
pay 7.9% more for transportation
Chicago
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
|
$4.83
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$62.05
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$30,005.28
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$20.07
|
|
pay 22.2% more for housing
Chicago
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.52
|
$68.54
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,360.96
|
$2,371.29
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,512.92
|
$2,055.18
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.63
|
$171.68
|
|
pay 29.4% less for childcare
Chicago
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,475.00
|
$1,682.51
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,300.00
|
$30,905.75
|
|
pay 10.7% less for entertainment and sports
Chicago
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$7.00
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.30
|
$5.34
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$10.91
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.00
|
$66.35
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$14.41
|
|
pay 18.2% less for clothing
Chicago
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.98
|
$52.77
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.67
|
$40.15
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$85.15
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$117.31
|
|
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