Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Denver Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 15.5% more expensive than Denver.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.2% more in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 5.8% less in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 3.6% less in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 5.7% more in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 86.2% more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.7% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 3.0% more in Chicago
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, and clothing in Chicago are more expensive than in Denver. Expenses including groceries and transportation are lower in Chicago. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chicago.
Chicago vs. Denver Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Denver, you would:
pay 3.2% more for restaurants
|
Denver
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.92
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.20
|
$2.33
|
|
Denver vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.8% less for groceries
|
Denver
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.11
|
$4.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.44
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.91
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.37
|
$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.32
|
$6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.43
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.57
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$1.26
|
|
Denver vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 3.6% less for transportation
|
Denver
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.34
|
$3.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$88.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,514.56
|
$35,691.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.42
|
$14.43
|
|
Denver vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 5.7% more for housing
|
Denver
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$64.18
|
$65.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,128.00
|
$2,418.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,704.17
|
$1,692.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$131.92
|
$141.41
|
|
Denver vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 86.2% more for childcare
|
Denver
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,571.72
|
$2,050.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,168.00
|
$39,114.29
|
|
Denver vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 19.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Denver
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.51
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.00
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$69.09
|
$71.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$18.00
|
|
Denver vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.0% more for clothing
|
Denver
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.26
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.78
|
$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.45
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.58
|
$146.50
|
|
Denver 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
Change currency:
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 Chicago or Denver. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.