Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Orleans vs. Chicago Cost of Living Summary
New Orleans is 13.2% cheaper than Chicago.
New Orleans vs. Chicago Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Orleans instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 5.8% more for restaurants
Chicago | New Orleans | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.50 | $26.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.96 | $2.96 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.33 | $2.10 | |
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.0% more for groceries
Chicago | New Orleans | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.01 | $4.10 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.05 | $7.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.30 | $5.27 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.02 | $4.54 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.55 | $4.97 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.31 | $2.31 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.79 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.85 | $2.30 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.09 | $2.46 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.16 | $1.91 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.26 | $1.33 | |
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of groceries
pay 12.9% less for transportation
Chicago | New Orleans | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.81 | $2.98 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $75.00 | $45.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $35,691.85 | $36,884.90 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $14.43 | $15.43 | |
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of transportation
pay 5.8% less for housing
Chicago | New Orleans | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $65.83 | $71.46 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,418.00 | $1,825.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,692.50 | $1,166.67 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $141.41 | $174.91 | |
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of housing
pay 48.8% less for childcare
Chicago | New Orleans | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $2,050.00 | $1,563.89 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $39,114.29 | $10,230.00 | |
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of childcare
pay 20.6% less for entertainment and sports
Chicago | New Orleans | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $6.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.53 | $5.61 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $17.00 | $8.75 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $71.80 | $62.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $18.00 | $13.00 | |
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.9% less for clothing
Chicago | New Orleans | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $64.24 | $55.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $49.62 | $43.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $99.48 | $71.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $146.50 | $112.50 | |
Chicago vs. New Orleans - 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: June 2026
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