Chicago vs London - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated: March 02, 2025

	Chicago	London
🚶 Cost of living one person	$2678	$3296
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family	$6655	$7841
🏠 One person rent	$1596	$2211
🏘️ Family rent	$2946	$4100
🍽️ Food expenses	$700	$551
🚐 Transport expenses	$200	$375
💳 Monthly salary after tax	$4876	$4153
😷 Air quality	Moderate	Excellent
✈️ Airport proximity	15 km	13 km
🎓 Higher education	100	100
😀 Quality of life	95	99
🏙️ Population	2.75M	8.8M

The cost of living in Chicago is 19% less expensive than in London. Cities ranked 529th and 58th ($2678 vs $3296) in the list of the most expensive cities in the world and ranked 483rd and 2nd in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively. Check the United States vs the United Kingdom comparison.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.8 months in Chicago compared to 1.3 months in London. Chicago ranked 3rd best city to live in the United States vs London ranked 1st in the United Kingdom, while ranked 23rd and 4th among best cities to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Chicago vs London infographic

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Prices in Chicago vs London

Prices for goods and services in Chicago and London are partly crowdsourced by our visitors, just like yourself. Please consider telling us about your city.

	Chicago	London
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu	$21.9	$21.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2	$90.6	$84
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's	$12	$9.67
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$7	$8.03
☕ Cappuccino	$5.4	$4.64
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz	$2.95	$2.46
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$1841	$2704
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$1327	$1831
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$3729	$5123
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$2474	$3478
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$104	$167
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$159	$255
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited	$62.1	$38.5
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years	6.68%	5.06%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$3391	$20412
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$2689	$10524
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket	$2.48	$3.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport	$75.1	$91.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi	$16.1	$30.2
⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal	$1.06	$1.82
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt	$0.94	$1.53
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb	$3.68	$1.86
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$4.61	$2.25
🥚 Eggs, x12	$4.13	$4.77
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$13.5	$11
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$14.2	$8.95
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$18.3	$13.5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$4.67	$2.95
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.84	$1.75
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$4.36	$2.99
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$4.43	$3.14
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$2.18	$1.43
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$2.71	$1.59
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt	$1.81	$1.1
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz	$2.85	$2.87
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle	$14.9	$11.9
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$3.04	$2.74
🚬 Cigarette pack	$15	$20.2
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week	$11.5	$3.29
🧴 Hair Shampoo	$6.02	$5.99
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls	$3.63	$2.7
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube	$1.76	$2.61
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month	$63	$55.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person	$14.8	$17.6
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit	$127	$69.7
💇 Haircut, simple	$29.8	$15.3
👖 Brand Jeans	$59	$97.6
👟 Brand Sneakers	$94.4	$113
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month	$2114	$2250
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year	$24502	$26090

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cost of Living in the nearest cities

Cities near Chicago

Distance	City	Cost of living
11 km or 7 mi	Cicero	$2425
14 km or 8.8 mi	Berwyn	$2421
14 km or 8.9 mi	Oak Park	$2510
16 km or 10 mi	Elmwood Park	$2426
18 km or 11 mi	Maywood	$2444
18 km or 11 mi	Evanston	$2194
19 km or 12 mi	Skokie	$2256
19 km or 12 mi	Burbank	$2401
20 km or 12 mi	Melrose Park	$2418
21 km or 13 mi	Oak Lawn	$2384
22 km or 14 mi	Morton Grove	$2314
22 km or 14 mi	Niles	$2334
23 km or 14 mi	Park Ridge	$2389
23 km or 14 mi	Wilmette	$2264
25 km or 16 mi	Blue Island	$2377
26 km or 16 mi	Elmhurst	$2392
27 km or 17 mi	Glenview	$2363
28 km or 17 mi	Des Plaines	$2509
28 km or 18 mi	Dolton	$2359
29 km or 18 mi	Villa Park	$2393
30 km or 19 mi	Harvey	$2360
30 km or 19 mi	East Chicago	$1938
30 km or 19 mi	Westmont	$2362
31 km or 19 mi	Calumet	$2363
31 km or 20 mi	South Holland	$2344
32 km or 20 mi	Lombard	$2396
32 km or 20 mi	Hammond	$1948
32 km or 20 mi	Oak Forest	$2350
33 km or 20 mi	Northbrook	$2378
33 km or 20 mi	Mount Prospect	$2446
33 km or 20 mi	Darien	$2369
33 km or 21 mi	Elk Grove Village	$2506
34 km or 21 mi	Downers Grove	$2342
35 km or 22 mi	Orland Park	$2367
36 km or 22 mi	Lansing	$2342
36 km or 22 mi	Glen Ellyn	$2227
37 km or 23 mi	Highland Park	$2345
37 km or 23 mi	Munster	$1954
37 km or 23 mi	Tinley Park	$2351
37 km or 23 mi	Wheeling	$2371

Cities near London

Distance	City	Cost of living
1.3 km or 0.8 mi	Westminster	$2868
11 km or 7 mi	Wimbledon	$2332
13 km or 8.3 mi	Richmond	$2273
15 km or 9.3 mi	Croydon	$2414
16 km or 10 mi	Greenford	$2209
19 km or 12 mi	Ewell	$2207
21 km or 13 mi	Coulsdon	$2214
23 km or 14 mi	Esher	$2185
24 km or 15 mi	Walton-on-Thames	$2182
25 km or 15 mi	Watford	$2470
27 km or 17 mi	Upminster	$2136
28 km or 17 mi	Rickmansworth	$2217
31 km or 19 mi	St Albans	$2261
32 km or 20 mi	Grays	$2028
32 km or 20 mi	Hertford	$2076
32 km or 20 mi	Slough	$2112
32 km or 20 mi	Brentwood	$2433
35 km or 22 mi	Harlow	$2199
35 km or 22 mi	Gravesend	$2035
35 km or 22 mi	Hemel Hempstead	$2122
37 km or 23 mi	Woking	$2429
38 km or 24 mi	Harpenden	$2052
40 km or 25 mi	Billericay	$2048
41 km or 25 mi	Maidenhead	$2623
43 km or 27 mi	East Grinstead	$2052
43 km or 27 mi	Basildon	$1924
43 km or 27 mi	Guildford	$2422
44 km or 27 mi	Crawley	$2092
44 km or 27 mi	Stevenage	$1987
44 km or 27 mi	Bracknell	$2248
44 km or 28 mi	Rochester	$1973
44 km or 28 mi	Tonbridge	$2063
45 km or 28 mi	High Wycombe	$2089
46 km or 28 mi	Bishop's Stortford	$2062
46 km or 28 mi	Luton	$1885
47 km or 29 mi	Chatham	$2263
49 km or 30 mi	Chelmsford	$1948
49 km or 30 mi	Gillingham	$2135
49 km or 30 mi	Godalming	$2344
49 km or 31 mi	Farnborough	$2009