Cost of living comparison

 Montana, USA
compared to
 Illinois, USA
Illinois vs. Montana Cost of Living Summary

Illinois is 4.4% cheaper than Montana.

Restaurants
pay 11.9% less in Illinois
Groceries
pay 11.9% less in Illinois
Transportation
pay 4.8% more in Illinois
Housing
pay 15.9% less in Illinois
Childcare
pay 17.8% more in Illinois
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.4% more in Illinois
Clothing
pay 15.0% less in Illinois

The cost of childcare, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Illinois are more expensive than in Montana. Expenses including housing, clothing, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Illinois.

Illinois vs. Montana Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Illinois instead of Montana, you would:

pay 11.9% less for restaurants

 
Montana
Illinois
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $22.08
 
$16.03
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.83
 
$10.33
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.17
 
$2.49
 

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pay 11.9% less for groceries

 
Montana
Illinois
Bread
1 loaf
$3.51
 
$3.19
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.34
 
$5.63
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.08
 
$3.30
 

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pay 4.8% more for transportation

 
Montana
Illinois
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.51
 
$3.61
 
Monthly public transit pass $45.00
 
$72.95
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,007.17
 
$28,096.73
 

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pay 15.9% less for housing

 
Montana
Illinois
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$81.26
 
$65.96
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,501.94
 
$1,375.37
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,420.42
 
$1,146.99
 

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pay 17.8% more for childcare

 
Montana
Illinois
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,302.15
 
$1,394.11
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $18,987.50
 
$24,405.00
 

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pay 1.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Montana
Illinois
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.97
 
$5.17
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.94
 
$4.81
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.59
 
$9.79
 

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pay 15.0% less for clothing

 
Montana
Illinois
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.80
 
$51.50
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$65.21
 
$41.59
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$95.93
 
$80.60
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: July 2025
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