Cost of living comparison
New York City is 27.9% more expensive than Chicago.
If you lived in New York City instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 7.5% more for restaurants
Chicago
|
New York City
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$30.00
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.34
|
$12.00
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$3.22
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.39
|
|
pay 24.2% more for groceries
Chicago
|
New York City
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.19
|
$4.82
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.87
|
$8.52
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$5.80
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.75
|
$5.06
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$6.82
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$3.25
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$1.04
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$2.67
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$2.70
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.73
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$1.66
|
|
pay 33.2% more for transportation
Chicago
|
New York City
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
|
$3.80
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$132.50
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$35,000.00
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$22.40
|
|
pay 47.0% more for housing
Chicago
|
New York City
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.52
|
$68.20
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,360.96
|
$4,097.13
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,512.92
|
$2,883.17
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.63
|
$136.26
|
|
pay 35.5% more for childcare
Chicago
|
New York City
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,475.00
|
$3,253.56
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,300.00
|
$59,000.00
|
|
pay 42.8% more for entertainment and sports
Chicago
|
New York City
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$9.00
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.30
|
$5.95
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$17.00
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.00
|
$148.06
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$20.00
|
|
pay 5.2% more for clothing
Chicago
|
New York City
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.98
|
$68.92
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.67
|
$45.62
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$107.85
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$168.36
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New York City or Chicago. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.