Cost of living comparison
compared to
Atlanta vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
Atlanta is 7.9% more expensive than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.0% more in Atlanta
- Groceries
-
pay 22.5% more in Atlanta
- Transportation
-
pay 6.7% more in Atlanta
- Housing
-
pay 19.3% more in Atlanta
- Childcare
-
pay 10.6% less in Atlanta
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.0% less in Atlanta
- Clothing
-
pay 2.3% less in Atlanta
The cost of restaurants, groceries, housing, and transportation in Atlanta are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Atlanta.
Atlanta vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Atlanta instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 23.0% more for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$2.21
|
|
Illinois vs. Atlanta - Cost of restaurants
pay 22.5% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$3.81
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$6.98
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$4.25
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$6.62
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$3.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.64
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$3.22
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.66
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.51
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.28
|
|
Illinois vs. Atlanta - Cost of groceries
pay 6.7% more for transportation
|
Illinois
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$95.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$35,901.81
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
$15.43
|
|
Illinois vs. Atlanta - Cost of transportation
pay 19.3% more for housing
|
Illinois
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$77.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,814.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$1,517.12
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$147.95
|
|
Illinois vs. Atlanta - Cost of housing
pay 10.6% less for childcare
|
Illinois
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$1,240.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
$26,413.80
|
|
Illinois vs. Atlanta - Cost of childcare
pay 3.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$44.09
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$15.50
|
|
Illinois vs. Atlanta - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.3% less for clothing
|
Illinois
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$51.21
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$40.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$105.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$111.44
|
|
Illinois vs. Atlanta - 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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