Cost of living comparison
compared to
Illinois vs. Alaska Cost of Living Summary
Illinois is 1.0% more expensive than Alaska.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.8% less in Illinois
- Groceries
-
pay 25.4% less in Illinois
- Transportation
-
pay 9.9% more in Illinois
- Housing
-
pay 22.1% less in Illinois
- Childcare
-
pay 88.1% more in Illinois
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 18.6% less in Illinois
- Clothing
-
pay 2.1% less in Illinois
The cost of childcare and transportation in Illinois are more expensive than in Alaska. Expenses including groceries, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Illinois. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Illinois.
Illinois vs. Alaska Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Illinois instead of Alaska, you would:
pay 22.8% less for restaurants
|
Alaska
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$29.06
|
$16.12
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.66
|
$10.72
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.52
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.22
|
$1.88
|
|
Alaska vs. Illinois - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.4% less for groceries
|
Alaska
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.78
|
$3.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.03
|
$6.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.69
|
$3.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.85
|
$3.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.40
|
$5.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.59
|
$2.38
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.15
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.75
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.83
|
$1.89
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
|
$1.05
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.24
|
|
Alaska vs. Illinois - Cost of groceries
pay 9.9% more for transportation
|
Alaska
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.24
|
$3.32
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$47.50
|
$69.58
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,029.83
|
$31,159.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.16
|
$18.08
|
|
Alaska vs. Illinois - Cost of transportation
pay 22.1% less for housing
|
Alaska
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$124.91
|
$72.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,500.50
|
$1,332.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,309.00
|
$1,112.01
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$190.02
|
$151.79
|
|
Alaska vs. Illinois - Cost of housing
pay 88.1% more for childcare
|
Alaska
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,147.73
|
$1,386.42
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,350.00
|
$26,426.10
|
|
Alaska vs. Illinois - Cost of childcare
pay 18.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Alaska
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.84
|
$5.38
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.54
|
$5.01
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.05
|
$10.78
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$104.50
|
$54.91
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.65
|
$13.02
|
|
Alaska vs. Illinois - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.1% less for clothing
|
Alaska
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.08
|
$55.71
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.00
|
$43.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.63
|
$91.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$127.30
|
$122.66
|
|
Alaska vs. Illinois - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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