Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Cincinnati Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 35.6% more expensive than Cincinnati.
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: June 2026
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