Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and New York, NY 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in New York, NY is 36.3% higher than in Chicago, IL (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in New York, NY is 52.2% higher than in Chicago, IL
Rent Prices in New York, NY are 78.9% higher than in Chicago, IL
Restaurant Prices in New York, NY are 24.8% higher than in Chicago, IL
Groceries Prices in New York, NY are 20.7% higher than in Chicago, IL
Local Purchasing Power in New York, NY is 33.9% lower than in Chicago, IL
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $ 30.00 $      +20.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $ 145.00 $      +45.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $ 13.00 $      +8.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 7.00 $ 8.00 $      +14.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 12.00 $      +50.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.70 $ 5.96 $      +4.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 3.02 $ 3.19 $      +5.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.45 $ 2.57 $      +4.7 %
Markets
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.84 $ 5.98 $      +56.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.78 $ 4.60 $      +21.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.52 $ 3.55 $      +40.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.53 $ 6.28 $      +38.5 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.68 $ 7.57 $      +13.4 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 7.01 $ 7.00 $      -0.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.34 $ 8.98 $      +7.7 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.36 $ 3.38 $      +43.2 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.82 $ 1.10 $      +33.5 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.94 $ 2.47 $      +27.2 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.01 $ 2.73 $      +35.4 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.10 $ 1.64 $      +48.8 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.24 $ 1.66 $      +33.6 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.46 $ 3.06 $      +24.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.59 $ 2.57 $      -0.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 20.00 $      +33.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.44 $ 2.90 $      +18.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.64 $ 3.81 $      +4.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 16.00 $ 18.00 $      +12.5 %
Transportation
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $ 2.90 $      +16.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 75.00 $ 132.00 $      +76.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.25 $ 5.00 $      +53.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.25 $ 3.50 $      +55.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 25.00 $ 42.00 $      +68.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.07 $ 3.73 $      -8.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 31,965.00 $ 34,500.00 $      +7.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,515.51 $ 27,985.28 $      +5.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 188.02 $ 186.58 $      -0.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 59.23 $ 61.74 $      +4.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 64.42 $ 63.86 $      -0.9 %
Sports And Leisure
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 78.31 $ 156.46 $      +99.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 13.12 $ 64.58 $      +392.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 $ 20.00 $      +33.3 %
Childcare
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,106.25 $ 3,146.67 $      +49.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 42,300.00 $ 56,857.14 $      +34.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 62.71 $ 65.67 $      +4.7 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 52.92 $ 48.95 $      -7.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 96.46 $ 111.85 $      +15.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 156.47 $ 174.73 $      +11.7 %
Rent Per Month
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,360.91 $ 3,926.09 $      +66.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,551.90 $ 2,759.22 $      +77.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,554.55 $ 8,443.10 $      +85.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,880.77 $ 5,177.60 $      +79.7 %
Buy Apartment Price
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 312.04 $ 1,667.95 $      +434.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 251.71 $ 1,197.27 $      +375.7 %
Salaries And Financing
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,239.24 $ 5,267.12 $      +0.5 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.60 6.52      -1.2 %
Last update: April 2025April 2025
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