Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Hampshire vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
New Hampshire is 4.3% more expensive than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.6% more in New Hampshire
- Groceries
-
pay 10.8% more in New Hampshire
- Transportation
-
pay 5.9% less in New Hampshire
- Housing
-
pay 19.2% more in New Hampshire
- Childcare
-
pay 1.5% more in New Hampshire
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.9% more in New Hampshire
- Clothing
-
pay 7.9% less in New Hampshire
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and childcare in New Hampshire are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Hampshire instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 9.6% more for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
New Hampshire
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$22.08
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$11.38
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$2.39
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$1.89
|
|
Illinois vs. New Hampshire - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.8% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
New Hampshire
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$3.49
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$6.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.90
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$4.21
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$5.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.13
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.42
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.21
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.47
|
|
Illinois vs. New Hampshire - Cost of groceries
pay 5.9% less for transportation
|
Illinois
|
New Hampshire
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$52.80
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$34,178.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
$17.04
|
|
Illinois vs. New Hampshire - Cost of transportation
pay 19.2% more for housing
|
Illinois
|
New Hampshire
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$67.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,783.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$1,553.61
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$165.57
|
|
Illinois vs. New Hampshire - Cost of housing
pay 1.5% more for childcare
|
Illinois
|
New Hampshire
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$1,754.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
$20,200.00
|
|
Illinois vs. New Hampshire - Cost of childcare
pay 2.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
New Hampshire
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$6.08
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$4.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$11.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$54.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$13.21
|
|
Illinois vs. New Hampshire - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.9% less for clothing
|
Illinois
|
New Hampshire
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$44.18
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$42.02
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$86.11
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$121.14
|
|
Illinois vs. New Hampshire - 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 New Hampshire or Illinois. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.