Cost of Living Comparison Between Boulder, CO and Chicago, IL 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Chicago, IL are 5.8% higher than in Boulder, CO (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Chicago, IL are 10.9% higher than in Boulder, CO
Rent Prices in Chicago, IL are 19.8% higher than in Boulder, CO
Restaurant Prices in Chicago, IL are 10.2% higher than in Boulder, CO
Groceries Prices in Chicago, IL are 21.0% higher than in Boulder, CO
Local Purchasing Power in Chicago, IL is 19.5% lower than in Boulder, CO
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 22.00 $ 25.00 $      +13.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 90.00 $ 100.00 $      +11.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 12.00 $      +20.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 7.50 $ 8.00 $      +6.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 8.00 $      0.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.39 $ 5.19 $      -3.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 3.08 $ 2.99 $      -3.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.50 $ 2.39 $      -4.3 %
Markets
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.11 $ 4.04 $      -1.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.32 $ 3.84 $      +15.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.00 $ 2.85 $      -5.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.66 $ 4.07 $      +11.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 4.86 $ 7.52 $      +54.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.47 $ 6.74 $      +23.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.64 $ 9.46 $      +42.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.08 $ 2.70 $      +29.4 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.67 $ 0.89 $      +33.2 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.90 $ 2.10 $      +10.5 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.16 $ 2.24 $      +3.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 2.22 $ 1.19 $      -46.2 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.41 $ 1.35 $      -4.5 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.99 $ 2.25 $      +12.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.10 $ 2.62 $      +24.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 17.00 $ 15.00 $      -11.8 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.73 $ 2.43 $      +40.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.70 $ 4.31 $      +59.7 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 9.98 $ 16.50 $      +65.3 %
Transportation
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.88 $ 2.50 $      -35.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 150.00 $ 80.00 $      -46.7 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 2.50 $ 3.25 $      +30.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.00 $ 2.25 $      +12.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 25.00 $ 25.00 $      0.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.29 $ 4.21 $      +28.1 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 31,865.00 $ 37,383.69 $      +17.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,911.25 $ 27,211.87 $      +5.0 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 179.98 $ 157.44 $      -12.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 50.83 $ 54.48 $      +7.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 75.00 $ 57.38 $      -23.5 %
Sports And Leisure
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 89.00 $ 78.67 $      -11.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 20.00 $ 6.25 $      -68.8 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 18.00 $ 15.00 $      -16.7 %
Childcare
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,433.33 $ 2,170.00 $      +51.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 30,700.00 $ 45,450.00 $      +48.0 %
Clothing And Shoes
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 50.40 $ 60.46 $      +20.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 45.00 $ 53.75 $      +19.4 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 80.67 $ 97.19 $      +20.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 212.50 $ 128.06 $      -39.7 %
Rent Per Month
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,862.50 $ 2,446.74 $      +31.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,512.50 $ 1,507.04 $      -0.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,500.00 $ 4,608.70 $      +31.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,742.86 $ 2,963.64 $      +8.0 %
Buy Apartment Price
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 669.34 $ 334.28 $      -50.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 422.02 $ 260.01 $      -38.4 %
Salaries And Financing
Boulder, CO Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,683.75 $ 5,073.92 $      -10.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.47 6.64      +2.7 %
Last update: May 2024May 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:31219