Cost of living comparison
compared to
West Palm Beach vs. Chicago Cost of Living Summary
West Palm Beach is 10.9% cheaper than Chicago.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.8% more in West Palm Beach
- Groceries
-
pay 11.4% more in West Palm Beach
- Transportation
-
pay 7.3% less in West Palm Beach
- Housing
-
pay 4.1% less in West Palm Beach
- Childcare
-
pay 46.3% less in West Palm Beach
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 26.6% less in West Palm Beach
- Clothing
-
pay 10.3% less in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach vs. Chicago Cost Breakdown
If you lived in West Palm Beach instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 6.8% more for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
West Palm Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.50
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.96
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.33
|
$1.92
|
|
Chicago vs. West Palm Beach - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.4% more for groceries
|
Chicago
|
West Palm Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.01
|
$3.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.05
|
$10.54
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.30
|
$3.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.02
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.55
|
$6.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.12
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.85
|
$2.55
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$2.53
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.72
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
|
$1.71
|
|
Chicago vs. West Palm Beach - Cost of groceries
pay 7.3% less for transportation
|
Chicago
|
West Palm Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.81
|
$3.19
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,691.85
|
$36,050.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
?? | |
Chicago vs. West Palm Beach - Cost of transportation
pay 4.1% less for housing
|
Chicago
|
West Palm Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.83
|
$59.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,418.00
|
$2,333.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,692.50
|
$1,780.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.41
|
$128.92
|
|
Chicago vs. West Palm Beach - Cost of housing
pay 46.3% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
West Palm Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,050.00
|
$1,100.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$39,114.29
|
?? | |
Chicago vs. West Palm Beach - Cost of childcare
pay 26.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
West Palm Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$4.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.53
|
$6.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$71.80
|
$48.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$15.00
|
|
Chicago vs. West Palm Beach - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.3% less for clothing
|
Chicago
|
West Palm Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.24
|
$73.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.62
|
$34.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.48
|
$95.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.50
|
$116.67
|
|
Chicago vs. West Palm Beach - 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: July 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Chicago vs. West Palm Beach
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about West Palm Beach or Chicago. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.