Cost of Living Comparison Between Phoenix, AZ and Chicago, IL 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Chicago, IL is 7.7% higher than in Phoenix, AZ (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Chicago, IL is 18.8% higher than in Phoenix, AZ
Rent Prices in Chicago, IL are 43.0% higher than in Phoenix, AZ
Restaurant Prices in Chicago, IL are 9.4% higher than in Phoenix, AZ
Groceries Prices in Chicago, IL are 14.2% higher than in Phoenix, AZ
Local Purchasing Power in Chicago, IL is 5.8% higher than in Phoenix, AZ
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $ 20.50 $      +2.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 80.00 $ 100.00 $      +25.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $ 12.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $ 7.00 $      +16.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $ 8.25 $      +17.9 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.86 $ 5.67 $      -3.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.70 $ 3.03 $      +12.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.17 $ 2.41 $      +11.1 %
Markets
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.34 $ 4.01 $      +20.1 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.80 $ 3.66 $      -3.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.29 $ 2.47 $      +8.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.80 $ 4.58 $      -4.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.40 $ 6.52 $      +20.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.36 $ 6.83 $      +27.4 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.19 $ 8.70 $      +40.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.02 $ 2.40 $      +18.7 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.66 $ 0.79 $      +19.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.80 $ 1.95 $      +8.2 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.32 $ 2.02 $      -12.9 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.50 $ 1.13 $      -24.3 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.19 $ 1.25 $      +5.6 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.91 $ 2.45 $      +28.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.30 $ 2.65 $      +14.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 15.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.20 $ 2.42 $      +10.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.93 $ 3.64 $      -7.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 11.50 $ 15.00 $      +30.4 %
Transportation
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $ 2.50 $      0.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 62.00 $ 75.00 $      +21.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.87 $ 3.25 $      -16.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.20 $ 2.25 $      +2.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 36.00 $ 25.00 $      -30.6 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.66 $ 4.06 $      +10.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 31,000.00 $ 31,965.00 $      +3.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,631.53 $ 26,398.93 $      -0.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 256.54 $ 184.60 $      -28.0 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 74.24 $ 62.71 $      -15.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 83.90 $ 66.29 $      -21.0 %
Sports And Leisure
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 34.08 $ 76.43 $      +124.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 14.50 $ 13.12 $      -9.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 12.00 $ 15.00 $      +25.0 %
Childcare
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,142.86 $ 2,056.25 $      +79.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 16,800.00 $ 39,114.29 $      +132.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 55.65 $ 64.22 $      +15.4 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 41.15 $ 51.54 $      +25.2 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 92.19 $ 96.12 $      +4.3 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 119.53 $ 145.88 $      +22.0 %
Rent Per Month
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,661.00 $ 2,344.23 $      +41.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,395.11 $ 1,600.95 $      +14.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,641.26 $ 4,682.61 $      +77.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,269.04 $ 2,767.39 $      +22.0 %
Buy Apartment Price
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 358.29 $ 320.76 $      -10.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 289.01 $ 230.28 $      -20.3 %
Salaries And Financing
Phoenix, AZ Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,119.52 $ 5,177.98 $      +25.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.46 6.60      +2.3 %
Last update: 1 June 202512 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:129247