Cost of living comparison
Chicago is 17.4% more expensive than Maryland.
If you lived in Chicago instead of Maryland, you would:
pay 25.7% more for restaurants
|
Maryland
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.12
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.23
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.37
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.20
|
$2.40
|
|
pay 8.5% more for groceries
|
Maryland
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.48
|
$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.61
|
$8.29
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.17
|
$4.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.85
|
$4.07
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.94
|
$6.78
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.33
|
$2.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.24
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.52
|
$1.19
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.35
|
|
pay 9.2% more for transportation
|
Maryland
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.22
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$92.12
|
$80.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,251.27
|
$37,383.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.26
|
$14.43
|
|
pay 3.0% less for housing
|
Maryland
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$75.42
|
$57.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,838.28
|
$2,432.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,534.25
|
$1,517.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$152.37
|
$122.94
|
|
pay 40.7% more for childcare
|
Maryland
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,587.88
|
$2,170.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$31,407.60
|
$45,450.00
|
|
pay 19.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Maryland
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.77
|
$7.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$5.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.65
|
$16.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.02
|
$76.63
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.25
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 21.2% more for clothing
|
Maryland
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.77
|
$60.46
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$33.64
|
$53.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.87
|
$97.19
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$124.73
|
$130.31
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Chicago or Maryland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.