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

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Chicago, IL are 10.0% lower than in San Francisco, CA (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Chicago, IL are 20.0% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Rent Prices in Chicago, IL are 31.7% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Restaurant Prices in Chicago, IL are 0.6% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Groceries Prices in Chicago, IL are 10.9% lower than in San Francisco, CA
Local Purchasing Power in Chicago, IL is 15.5% 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 $ 25.00 $      0.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $ 100.00 $      0.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $ 12.00 $      0.0 %
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) 5.62 $ 5.22 $      -7.0 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.72 $ 2.99 $      +10.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.32 $ 2.40 $      +3.4 %
Markets
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 5.87 $ 4.06 $      -30.9 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 4.36 $ 3.81 $      -12.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.99 $ 2.85 $      -4.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 5.20 $ 4.07 $      -21.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 9.23 $ 7.52 $      -18.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 7.04 $ 6.78 $      -3.7 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.19 $ 9.46 $      +2.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.09 $ 2.70 $      -12.9 %
Banana (1 lb) 1.54 $ 0.89 $      -42.1 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.48 $ 2.10 $      -15.5 %
Tomato (1 lb) 3.39 $ 2.24 $      -33.9 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.92 $ 1.19 $      -37.7 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.57 $ 1.35 $      -13.9 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.02 $ 2.25 $      -25.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.30 $ 2.62 $      +13.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 17.50 $ 15.00 $      -14.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.33 $ 2.43 $      +4.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.94 $ 4.31 $      +46.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 13.50 $ 16.00 $      +18.5 %
Transportation
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.75 $ 2.50 $      -9.1 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 96.50 $ 80.00 $      -17.1 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.00 $ 3.25 $      -18.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.00 $ 2.25 $      -25.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 39.00 $ 25.00 $      -35.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 5.14 $ 4.22 $      -17.8 %
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 $ 27,211.87 $      -0.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 254.02 $ 160.77 $      -36.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 49.73 $ 55.33 $      +11.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 64.48 $ 57.48 $      -10.9 %
Sports And Leisure
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 102.45 $ 76.63 $      -25.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 19.00 $ 6.25 $      -67.1 %
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 2,770.37 $ 2,170.00 $      -21.7 %
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) 59.23 $ 60.46 $      +2.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 42.73 $ 53.75 $      +25.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 106.14 $ 97.19 $      -8.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 122.53 $ 130.31 $      +6.4 %
Rent Per Month
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 3,251.73 $ 2,432.29 $      -25.2 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,738.46 $ 1,517.89 $      -44.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 5,915.80 $ 4,604.17 $      -22.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 5,000.00 $ 2,991.30 $      -40.2 %
Buy Apartment Price
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,254.08 $ 330.00 $      -73.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,116.49 $ 258.01 $      -76.9 %
Salaries And Financing
San Francisco, CA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 7,498.42 $ 5,073.92 $      -32.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.73 6.64      -1.3 %
Last update: May 2024May 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:205221