Cost of living comparison
Washington is 7.9% more expensive than Chicago.
If you lived in Washington instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 3.8% less for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.34
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$2.78
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.22
|
|
pay 8.8% more for groceries
|
Chicago
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.19
|
$4.34
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.87
|
$7.84
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$4.14
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.75
|
$3.91
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$6.73
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$0.85
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$2.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$2.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$1.61
|
|
pay 21.7% more for transportation
|
Chicago
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
|
$3.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$23.88
|
|
pay 18.2% more for housing
|
Chicago
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.52
|
$66.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,360.96
|
$2,582.95
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,512.92
|
$2,028.70
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.63
|
$146.65
|
|
pay 8.9% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,475.00
|
$2,273.25
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,300.00
|
$38,250.00
|
|
pay 8.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.30
|
$5.55
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$11.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.00
|
$106.36
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$17.18
|
|
pay 10.8% more for clothing
|
Chicago
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.98
|
$74.13
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.67
|
$50.77
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$105.47
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$178.48
|
|
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