Cost of living comparison
Germany is 21.9% cheaper than Chicago.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.6% less in Germany
- Groceries
-
pay 26.9% less in Germany
- Transportation
-
pay 22.6% more in Germany
- Housing
-
pay 15.3% less in Germany
- Childcare
-
pay 76.2% less in Germany
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 37.7% less in Germany
- Clothing
-
pay 3.9% less in Germany
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, housing, and clothing are lower in Germany.
If you lived in Germany instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 15.6% less for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
Germany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$14.04
€13.62
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.34
|
$10.20
€9.89
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$2.80
€2.72
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.41
€2.34
|
|
pay 26.9% less for groceries
|
Chicago
|
Germany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.19
|
$2.03
€1.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.87
|
$6.71
€6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$4.38
€4.25
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.75
|
$3.41
€3.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$6.24
€6.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$1.28
€1.24
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$0.70
€0.68
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$0.97
€0.94
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$2.10
€2.04
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.66
€0.64
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$0.69
€0.67
|
|
pay 22.6% more for transportation
|
Chicago
|
Germany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
|
$7.07
€6.86
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$52.96
€51.36
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$28,807.86
€27,937.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$23.02
€22.32
|
|
pay 15.3% less for housing
|
Chicago
|
Germany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.52
|
$48.22
€46.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,360.96
|
$790.39
€766.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,512.92
|
$625.27
€606.38
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.63
|
$230.06
€223.11
|
|
pay 76.2% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
Germany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,475.00
|
$458.39
€444.54
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,300.00
|
$12,308.95
€11,937.10
|
|
pay 37.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
Germany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$4.42
€4.28
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.30
|
$3.49
€3.38
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$8.74
€8.47
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.00
|
$36.01
€34.92
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$12.80
€12.41
|
|
pay 3.9% less for clothing
|
Chicago
|
Germany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.98
|
$82.34
€79.85
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.67
|
$40.78
€39.55
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$91.59
€88.82
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$123.43
€119.70
|
|
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