Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco, CA and Chicago, IL 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Chicago, IL are 12.6% lower than in San Francisco, CA (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Chicago, IL are 19.6% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Rent Prices in Chicago, IL are 28.2% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Restaurant Prices in Chicago, IL are 13.4% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Groceries Prices in Chicago, IL are 9.8% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Local Purchasing Power in Chicago, IL is 11.9% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $ 20.00 $      -20.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $ 87.50 $      -12.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $ 11.00 $      -8.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 $ 7.50 $      -6.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 8.00 $      0.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.45 $ 5.12 $      -6.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.73 $ 2.93 $      +7.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.25 $ 2.34 $      +4.0 %
Markets
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 6.11 $ 4.26 $      -30.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 4.38 $ 3.73 $      -14.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.87 $ 2.58 $      -10.2 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 5.14 $ 3.99 $      -22.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 9.31 $ 7.54 $      -19.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 7.21 $ 6.51 $      -9.6 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.53 $ 9.14 $      +7.1 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.90 $ 2.72 $      -6.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 1.35 $ 0.88 $      -35.0 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.23 $ 2.27 $      +1.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 3.35 $ 2.13 $      -36.4 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.79 $ 1.22 $      -32.0 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.51 $ 1.26 $      -16.9 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.94 $ 2.24 $      -23.9 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.30 $ 2.29 $      -0.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 17.25 $ 14.50 $      -15.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.03 $ 2.20 $      +8.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.67 $ 4.16 $      +55.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 13.00 $ 15.50 $      +19.2 %
Transportation
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.75 $ 2.50 $      -9.1 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 98.00 $ 85.00 $      -13.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.00 $ 3.25 $      -18.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.50 $ 2.25 $      -35.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 39.00 $ 25.00 $      -35.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 5.03 $ 4.21 $      -16.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 32,000.00 $ 37,383.69 $      +16.8 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,336.48 $ 27,580.52 $      +0.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 245.35 $ 153.58 $      -37.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 48.20 $ 57.95 $      +20.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 64.39 $ 59.17 $      -8.1 %
Sports And Leisure
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 106.89 $ 79.75 $      -25.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 26.50 $ 0.00 $      -100.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 17.00 $ 15.00 $      -11.8 %
Childcare
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,666.67 $ 2,170.00 $      -18.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 31,333.33 $ 45,450.00 $      +45.1 %
Clothing And Shoes
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 60.95 $ 61.59 $      +1.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 43.33 $ 53.75 $      +24.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 108.42 $ 97.17 $      -10.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 135.56 $ 124.94 $      -7.8 %
Rent Per Month
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 3,121.40 $ 2,343.00 $      -24.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,612.00 $ 1,536.12 $      -41.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 5,499.76 $ 4,523.81 $      -17.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 4,666.67 $ 3,015.00 $      -35.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,085.71 $ 318.33 $      -70.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 985.71 $ 260.01 $      -73.6 %
Salaries And Financing
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 7,738.26 $ 5,479.05 $      -29.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.53 6.63      +1.6 %
Last update: March 2024March 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:189223