Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Cincinnati Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 35.6% more expensive than Cincinnati.
- Restaurants
-
pay 29.0% more in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 14.7% more in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 1.5% less in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 41.9% more in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 77.8% more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 54.2% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 33.2% more in Chicago
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, restaurants, and groceries in Chicago are more expensive than in Cincinnati. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chicago.
Chicago vs. Cincinnati Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Cincinnati, you would:
pay 29.0% more for restaurants
|
Cincinnati
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.00
|
$20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.87
|
$2.33
|
|
Cincinnati vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.7% more for groceries
|
Cincinnati
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.21
|
$4.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.18
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.22
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.41
|
$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.72
|
$6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.46
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.79
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.29
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.61
|
$1.26
|
|
Cincinnati vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 1.5% less for transportation
|
Cincinnati
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$3.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$106.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,111.63
|
$35,691.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.69
|
$14.43
|
|
Cincinnati vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 41.9% more for housing
|
Cincinnati
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.07
|
$65.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,498.89
|
$2,418.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,084.67
|
$1,692.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$99.39
|
$141.41
|
|
Cincinnati vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 77.8% more for childcare
|
Cincinnati
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,566.11
|
$2,050.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$17,408.00
|
$39,114.29
|
|
Cincinnati vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 54.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Cincinnati
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.72
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.12
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.08
|
$71.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$18.00
|
|
Cincinnati vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 33.2% more for clothing
|
Cincinnati
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$39.71
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.50
|
$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.89
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.78
|
$146.50
|
|
Cincinnati 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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