Cost of living comparison
Alabama is 9.6% cheaper than Illinois.
If you lived in Alabama instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 3.8% less for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.03
|
$16.94
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.33
|
$10.04
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.49
|
$2.02
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$1.87
|
|
pay 11.8% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.19
|
$3.34
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.63
|
$5.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.30
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.92
|
$3.25
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.08
|
$4.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.05
|
$1.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.82
|
$1.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$1.46
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$1.33
|
|
pay 14.5% less for transportation
|
Illinois
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.61
|
$3.04
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.95
|
$41.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,096.73
|
$31,723.76
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.96
|
$15.76
|
|
pay 10.7% less for housing
|
Illinois
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.96
|
$63.12
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,375.37
|
$1,069.72
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,146.99
|
$836.44
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$137.37
|
$152.52
|
|
pay 28.5% less for childcare
|
Illinois
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,394.11
|
$992.09
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,405.00
|
$17,515.79
|
|
pay 14.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.17
|
$5.19
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.81
|
$4.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.79
|
$7.31
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$60.87
|
$37.18
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$11.05
|
|
pay 7.1% less for clothing
|
Illinois
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.50
|
$44.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.59
|
$37.85
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.60
|
$79.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.89
|
$112.25
|
|
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