Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Detroit Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 33.8% more expensive than Detroit.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.2% more in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 13.8% more in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 10.4% more in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 31.6% more in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 95.6% more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 42.3% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 26.4% more in Chicago
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, restaurants, and groceries in Chicago are more expensive than in Detroit. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chicago.
Chicago vs. Detroit Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Detroit, you would:
pay 16.2% more for restaurants
|
Detroit
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.33
|
|
Detroit vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.8% more for groceries
|
Detroit
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.38
|
$4.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.58
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.25
|
$6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.80
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
|
$1.26
|
|
Detroit vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 10.4% more for transportation
|
Detroit
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.40
|
$3.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$66.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$35,691.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.68
|
$14.43
|
|
Detroit vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 31.6% more for housing
|
Detroit
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.14
|
$65.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,450.00
|
$2,418.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,058.17
|
$1,692.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$192.03
|
$141.41
|
|
Detroit vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 95.6% more for childcare
|
Detroit
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,294.79
|
$2,050.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,800.00
|
$39,114.29
|
|
Detroit vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 42.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Detroit
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.86
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.00
|
$71.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$18.00
|
|
Detroit vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.4% more for clothing
|
Detroit
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.08
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.00
|
$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.00
|
$146.50
|
|
Detroit 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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