Cost of living comparison
Chicago is 15.5% more expensive than Sydney.
If you lived in Chicago instead of Sydney, you would:
pay 26.8% more for restaurants
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.48
A$25.04
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.89
A$15.02
|
$11.34
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.49
A$3.79
|
$3.02
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
A$3.11
|
$2.44
|
|
pay 23.3% more for groceries
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.80
A$4.25
|
$4.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.66
A$8.60
|
$7.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.60
A$10.04
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.35
A$6.61
|
$3.75
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.91
A$5.95
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.47
A$2.23
|
$2.44
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.29
A$1.95
|
$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.38
A$2.09
|
$2.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
A$2.94
|
$2.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
A$1.68
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.02
A$1.56
|
$1.37
|
|
pay 27.0% less for transportation
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.95
A$7.53
|
$4.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$143.27
A$217.73
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,276.08
A$44,492.53
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$31.14
A$47.32
|
$14.43
|
|
pay 1.8% more for housing
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.22
A$79.37
|
$58.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,177.38
A$3,309.09
|
$2,360.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,459.01
A$2,217.34
|
$1,512.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$152.64
A$231.97
|
$126.63
|
|
pay 80.1% more for childcare
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,995.92
A$3,033.31
|
$2,475.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$17,906.19
A$27,213.06
|
$42,300.00
|
|
pay 6.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.59
A$10.02
|
$7.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.47
A$5.27
|
$5.30
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$32.95
A$50.08
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.52
A$90.46
|
$72.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.82
A$24.04
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 3.4% less for clothing
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$74.12
A$112.65
|
$64.98
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.36
A$81.09
|
$51.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$108.20
A$164.44
|
$97.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$130.17
A$197.83
|
$146.00
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Chicago or Sydney. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.