Cost of living comparison
Denver is 9.1% cheaper than Chicago.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.2% less in Denver
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2% more in Denver
- Transportation
-
pay 7.9% more in Denver
- Housing
-
pay 8.3% more in Denver
- Childcare
-
pay 51.7% less in Denver
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.6% less in Denver
- Clothing
-
pay 10.3% less in Denver
The cost of housing, transportation, and groceries in Denver are more expensive than in Chicago. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Denver.
If you lived in Denver instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 5.2% less for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.34
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$2.88
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.40
|
|
pay 2.2% more for groceries
|
Chicago
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.19
|
$3.94
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.87
|
$7.08
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$3.90
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.75
|
$4.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$5.88
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$0.81
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$2.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$2.57
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.37
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$1.25
|
|
pay 7.9% more for transportation
|
Chicago
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
|
$3.37
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$88.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$36,029.12
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$17.42
|
|
pay 8.3% more for housing
|
Chicago
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.52
|
$67.02
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,360.96
|
$2,088.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,512.92
|
$1,670.27
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.63
|
$151.79
|
|
pay 51.7% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,475.00
|
$1,445.06
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,300.00
|
$16,168.00
|
|
pay 14.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.30
|
$5.61
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.00
|
$60.19
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 10.3% less for clothing
|
Chicago
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.98
|
$59.11
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.67
|
$48.89
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$93.36
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$112.25
|
|
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