Cost of living comparison
compared to
Maine vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
Maine is 6.6% more expensive than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.7% more in Maine
- Groceries
-
pay 9.0% more in Maine
- Transportation
-
pay 10.2% less in Maine
- Housing
-
pay 6.2% more in Maine
- Childcare
-
pay 24.7% more in Maine
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.8% less in Maine
- Clothing
-
pay 0.3% more in Maine
The cost of childcare, restaurants, groceries, housing, and clothing in Maine are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including transportation and entertainment and sports are lower in Maine.
Maine vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Maine instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 16.7% more for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
Maine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$20.90
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$12.05
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$2.72
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$2.19
|
|
Illinois vs. Maine - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.0% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
Maine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$3.74
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$7.41
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.04
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$3.75
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$4.72
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.15
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.64
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.26
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.50
|
|
Illinois vs. Maine - Cost of groceries
pay 10.2% less for transportation
|
Illinois
|
Maine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.17
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$60.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$32,629.96
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
$13.21
|
|
Illinois vs. Maine - Cost of transportation
pay 6.2% more for housing
|
Illinois
|
Maine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$72.24
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,512.90
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$1,218.33
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$154.18
|
|
Illinois vs. Maine - Cost of housing
pay 24.7% more for childcare
|
Illinois
|
Maine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$2,079.07
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
$26,277.78
|
|
Illinois vs. Maine - Cost of childcare
pay 0.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
Maine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$6.15
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$5.62
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$10.10
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$41.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$13.05
|
|
Illinois vs. Maine - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.3% more for clothing
|
Illinois
|
Maine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$44.36
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$52.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$95.12
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$120.60
|
|
Illinois vs. Maine - 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: February 2026
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