Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Houston Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 25.3% more expensive than Houston.
Chicago vs. Houston Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Houston, you would:
pay 8.5% more for restaurants
Houston | 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) | $2.76 | $2.96 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.23 | $2.33 | |
Houston vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.5% more for groceries
Houston | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.23 | $4.01 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.32 | $7.05 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.44 | $4.30 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.35 | $5.02 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.20 | $6.55 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.88 | $2.31 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.67 | $0.79 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.67 | $1.85 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.12 | $2.09 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.20 | $1.16 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.05 | $1.26 | |
Houston vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 11.5% more for transportation
Houston | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.81 | $3.81 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $75.00 | $75.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,278.39 | $35,691.85 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $14.39 | $14.43 | |
Houston vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 16.8% more for housing
Houston | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $70.76 | $65.83 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,660.33 | $2,418.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,287.77 | $1,692.50 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $145.65 | $141.41 | |
Houston vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 56.3% more for childcare
Houston | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,258.33 | $2,050.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $26,120.00 | $39,114.29 | |
Houston vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 40.5% more for entertainment and sports
Houston | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.00 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.41 | $5.53 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.95 | $17.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $37.29 | $71.80 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $15.00 | $18.00 | |
Houston vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.0% more for clothing
Houston | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $45.57 | $64.24 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $44.00 | $49.62 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $98.95 | $99.48 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $116.43 | $146.50 | |
Houston 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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