# Cost of living in Chicago

What it costs to live in Chicago, United States — $3,365/month for one person renting a 1-bedroom in the centre, all-in.

## Monthly budgets by household

| Household | Total USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Single | $3,365 |
| Couple | $4,110 |
| Family (4) | $10,653 |
| Retirees | $4,110 |

Each total is rent plus food, utilities, transport, and the usual recurring costs — not a bare rent figure.

## Where the money goes (Single)

| Category | USD / month | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rent | $2,388 | 1BR |
| Groceries & eating out | $600 |  |
| Transport | $75 |  |
| Utilities & phones | $302 |  |

## Rent

| Apartment | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | $1,731 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | $2,388 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | $2,933 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | $4,631 |

## Groceries

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Milk (1L) | $1.33 |
| Bread (loaf) | $4.08 |
| Eggs (12) | $4.78 |
| Rice (1kg) | $5.37 |
| Chicken (1kg) | $15 |
| Apples (1kg) | $5.18 |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | $4.38 |
| Potatoes (1kg) | $2.52 |
| Water (1.5L) | $2.65 |
| Wine (mid-range) | $15 |
| Beer (0.5L) | $3.02 |

## Eating out

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Cheap meal | $20 |
| Mid-range dinner for 2 | $100 |
| Cappuccino | $5.61 |
| Beer (draught) | $7.00 |
| Coke (0.33L) | $3.11 |

## Getting around

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Monthly pass | $75 |
| Single ride | $2.50 |
| Taxi start | $3.25 |
| Taxi per km | $1.40 |
| Gasoline (1L) | $1.01 |

## Income and short stays

- **Average net salary (after tax):** $4,775/month
- **30-day trial stay (short-let, eating out, transport, SIM):** $5,170

## Cities with comparable costs

| City | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly total | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Seattle | $2,442 | $3,728 | /cost-of-living/seattle |
| Honolulu | $2,703 | $3,936 | /cost-of-living/honolulu |
| Los Angeles | $2,839 | $4,067 | /cost-of-living/los-angeles |
| Vancouver | $1,925 | $2,844 | /cost-of-living/vancouver |
| Phoenix | $1,787 | $2,877 | /cost-of-living/phoenix |

## Related pages

- Full city profile: /cities/chicago

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cost-of-living/chicago) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.