Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Denmark Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 48.4% more expensive than Denmark overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.1% less in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 9.3% more in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 35.2% less in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 70.7% more in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 4.0 times more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.0% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 13.4% less in Chicago
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Chicago are more expensive than in Denmark. Expenses including transportation, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Chicago. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chicago.
Chicago vs. Denmark Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Denmark, you would:
pay 17.1% less for restaurants
|
Denmark
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$23.17
DKK149.21
|
$20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.90
DKK89.51
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.84
DKK24.71
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.91
DKK18.76
|
$2.33
|
|
Denmark vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.3% more for groceries
|
Denmark
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.26
DKK21.01
|
$4.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.90
DKK44.44
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.91
DKK50.96
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.82
DKK31.06
|
$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.27
DKK33.92
|
$6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.44
DKK9.27
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.47
DKK9.47
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.57
DKK10.10
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
DKK13.99
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.96
DKK6.20
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.87
DKK5.59
|
$1.26
|
|
Denmark vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 35.2% less for transportation
|
Denmark
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.41
DKK54.14
|
$3.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$89.74
DKK577.90
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$48,140.44
DKK310,024.41
|
$35,691.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.64
DKK165.10
|
$14.43
|
|
Denmark vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 70.7% more for housing
|
Denmark
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$40.30
DKK259.55
|
$65.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,064.91
DKK6,858.02
|
$2,418.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$842.32
DKK5,424.55
|
$1,692.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$154.40
DKK994.32
|
$141.41
|
|
Denmark vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 4.0 times more for childcare
|
Denmark
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$547.90
DKK3,528.45
|
$2,050.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,128.43
DKK58,787.10
|
$39,114.29
|
|
Denmark vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 23.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Denmark
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.18
DKK52.66
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.19
DKK39.88
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.59
DKK61.77
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.64
DKK281.04
|
$71.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.32
DKK117.97
|
$18.00
|
|
Denmark vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.4% less for clothing
|
Denmark
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$103.92
DKK669.24
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.34
DKK272.64
|
$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.57
DKK776.46
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$172.17
DKK1,108.77
|
$146.50
|
|
Denmark 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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