Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
New York is 12.1% more expensive than Illinois.
New York vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 8.1% more for restaurants
Illinois | New York | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $16.12 | $20.39 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.72 | $11.80 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.52 | $2.45 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.88 | $1.86 | |
Illinois vs. New York - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.4% more for groceries
Illinois | New York | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.11 | $3.78 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.06 | $7.84 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.41 | $4.25 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.89 | $4.76 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.13 | $5.49 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.38 | $2.39 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.74 | $0.88 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.20 | $2.16 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.89 | $2.38 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.05 | $1.43 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.24 | $1.63 | |
Illinois vs. New York - Cost of groceries
pay 18.7% more for transportation
Illinois | New York | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.32 | $3.32 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $69.58 | $95.86 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $31,159.60 | $33,821.80 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $18.08 | $19.88 | |
Illinois vs. New York - Cost of transportation
pay 16.1% more for housing
Illinois | New York | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $72.20 | $65.63 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,332.19 | $1,876.02 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,112.01 | $1,567.68 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $151.79 | $139.14 | |
Illinois vs. New York - Cost of housing
pay 11.8% more for childcare
Illinois | New York | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,386.42 | $1,788.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $26,426.10 | $24,966.76 | |
Illinois vs. New York - Cost of childcare
pay 16.3% more for entertainment and sports
Illinois | New York | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.38 | $6.28 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.01 | $5.14 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.78 | $14.22 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $54.91 | $63.27 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.02 | $14.99 | |
Illinois vs. New York - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.8% less for clothing
Illinois | New York | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.71 | $49.49 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $43.50 | $44.18 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $91.99 | $85.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $122.66 | $115.57 | |
Illinois vs. New York - 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: July 2026
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