Cost of Living in Chicago

Summary of cost of living in Chicago, IL, United States:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $ 15.00-40.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 87.50 $ 60.00-150.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 11.00 $ 9.75-15.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 7.50 $ 4.00-10.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 6.00-12.50
Cappuccino (regular) 5.09 $ 3.78-7.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.93 $ 2.00-4.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.34 $ 1.80-4.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.26 $ 2.35-7.00
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.73 $ 2.00-5.99
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.58 $ 1.00-5.00
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.99 $ 1.97-6.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 7.54 $ 4.00-12.00
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.51 $ 3.00-10.00
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.14 $ 4.54-18.00
Apples (1 lb) 2.72 $ 0.99-4.00
Banana (1 lb) 0.88 $ 0.59-1.73
Oranges (1 lb) 2.27 $ 0.99-5.00
Tomato (1 lb) 2.13 $ 1.00-4.00
Potato (1 lb) 1.25 $ 0.50-2.00
Onion (1 lb) 1.26 $ 0.50-2.00
Lettuce (1 head) 2.24 $ 0.99-3.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.31 $ 1.25-5.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 9.00-20.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.20 $ 1.52-4.29
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.16 $ 1.80-8.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 15.50 $ 13.00-20.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $ 2.50-3.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 90.00 $ 75.00-110.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.25 $ 3.00-4.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.25 $ 2.25-3.50
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 25.00 $ 25.00-40.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.19 $ 3.50-5.00
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 37,383.69 $ 28,000.00-37,383.69
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,580.52 $ 26,000.00-28,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 153.58 $ 105.57-261.41
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 56.47 $ 43.00-85.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 58.51 $ 40.00-100.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 79.40 $ 40.00-140.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 0.00 $ 0.00-0.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 $ 12.00-20.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,150.00 $ 1,000.00-3,000.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 45,450.00 $ 45,450.00-45,450.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 61.59 $ 40.00-90.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 53.18 $ 29.00-100.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 96.17 $ 65.00-130.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 124.94 $ 80.00-200.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,359.38 $ 1,800.00-3,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,526.22 $ 1,200.00-2,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,475.00 $ 3,500.00-5,500.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,984.21 $ 2,250.00-4,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 300.01 $ 240.06-350.00
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 260.01 $ 200.02-375.00
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,338.68 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.64 6.19-7.60

Prices in Chicago, Illinois

This city had 1303 entries in the past 12 months by 213 different contributors.
Last update: March 2024
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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3 Comments so far
Anonymous on Apr 03, 2021:
Chicago is reasonable on everything except real estate taxes, state income tax, utility taxes, and sales taxes. Taxes in general are high in Illinois. Housing costs and wages are good however. World class city. Suburbs are better however. But, you have city amenities at your fingertips and the burbs are a little cheaper.
Anonymous on Dec 21, 2020:
The post by ECONOMICS January 11,2019 isn't correct.
Anonymous on Oct 24, 2020:
2.96 a gallon of milk?! Yeah. In Costco! But if you don't have Costco membership, regular price in store is around $5.96!