Cost of living comparison
France is 24.8% cheaper than Chicago.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.8% less in France
- Groceries
-
pay 19.8% less in France
- Transportation
-
pay 15.5% more in France
- Housing
-
pay 41.6% less in France
- Childcare
-
pay 75.2% less in France
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.1% less in France
- Clothing
-
pay 1.9% less in France
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and clothing are lower in France.
If you lived in France instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 18.8% less for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$15.64
€15.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.34
|
$10.86
€10.53
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$2.73
€2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$1.86
€1.80
|
|
pay 19.8% less for groceries
|
Chicago
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.19
|
$1.71
€1.66
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.87
|
$8.46
€8.21
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$4.52
€4.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.75
|
$3.79
€3.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$5.82
€5.65
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$1.27
€1.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$0.96
€0.93
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.28
€1.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$1.47
€1.43
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.90
€0.88
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$0.97
€0.94
|
|
pay 15.5% more for transportation
|
Chicago
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
|
$7.25
€7.03
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$50.39
€48.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$31,262.62
€30,318.20
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$17.66
€17.13
|
|
pay 41.6% less for housing
|
Chicago
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.52
|
$30.07
€29.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,360.96
|
$750.17
€727.51
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,512.92
|
$604.38
€586.13
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.63
|
$140.10
€135.86
|
|
pay 75.2% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,475.00
|
$690.26
€669.41
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,300.00
|
$9,163.56
€8,886.74
|
|
pay 32.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$6.20
€6.02
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.30
|
$3.01
€2.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$11.83
€11.47
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.00
|
$35.91
€34.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$12.10
€11.73
|
|
pay 1.9% less for clothing
|
Chicago
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.98
|
$89.62
€86.92
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.67
|
$37.76
€36.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$91.52
€88.76
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$126.90
€123.06
|
|
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