Cost of living comparison
Iowa is 27.6% cheaper than Chicago.
If you lived in Iowa instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 28.9% less for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$15.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$9.56
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.99
|
$2.17
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.40
|
$1.72
|
|
pay 20.7% less for groceries
|
Chicago
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$2.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.29
|
$5.42
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.06
|
$3.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.07
|
$2.96
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.78
|
$4.79
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$2.10
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.64
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$1.90
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.24
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.19
|
$1.05
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.29
|
|
pay 24.0% less for transportation
|
Chicago
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.22
|
$3.22
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$80.00
|
$41.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,383.69
|
$27,291.62
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$14.84
|
|
pay 16.6% less for housing
|
Chicago
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.48
|
$68.69
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,432.29
|
$1,107.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,517.89
|
$831.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$122.94
|
$140.13
|
|
pay 53.9% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,170.00
|
$1,030.74
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$45,450.00
|
$20,379.75
|
|
pay 28.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$5.03
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.21
|
$5.05
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$16.00
|
$8.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$76.63
|
$45.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$12.12
|
|
pay 20.2% less for clothing
|
Chicago
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.46
|
$46.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.75
|
$41.37
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.19
|
$81.19
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$130.31
|
$106.97
|
|
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