Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Charlotte Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 21.0% more expensive than Charlotte.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.9% more in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 4.0% less in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 2.1% less in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 16.3% more in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 57.2% more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 44.1% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 18.5% more in Chicago
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, restaurants, and housing in Chicago are more expensive than in Charlotte. Expenses including groceries and transportation are lower in Chicago.
Chicago vs. Charlotte Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Charlotte, you would:
pay 16.9% more for restaurants
|
Charlotte
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.48
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.03
|
$2.33
|
|
Charlotte vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.0% less for groceries
|
Charlotte
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.89
|
$4.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.68
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.06
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.52
|
$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$8.44
|
$6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.67
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$1.26
|
|
Charlotte vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 2.1% less for transportation
|
Charlotte
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.09
|
$3.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$88.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,844.68
|
$35,691.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.91
|
$14.43
|
|
Charlotte vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 16.3% more for housing
|
Charlotte
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.45
|
$65.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,799.58
|
$2,418.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,475.31
|
$1,692.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$112.89
|
$141.41
|
|
Charlotte vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 57.2% more for childcare
|
Charlotte
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,314.40
|
$2,050.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,700.00
|
$39,114.29
|
|
Charlotte vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 44.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Charlotte
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.90
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.05
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.58
|
$71.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$18.00
|
|
Charlotte vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.5% more for clothing
|
Charlotte
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.89
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.00
|
$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.71
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$146.50
|
|
Charlotte vs. Chicago - 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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