Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Dakota vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
North Dakota is 2.5% cheaper than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.6% more in North Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 9.9% more in North Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 13.9% less in North Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 6.7% less in North Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 25.9% less in North Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.6% more in North Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 5.0% less in North Dakota
The cost of restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports in North Dakota are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including childcare, transportation, housing, and clothing are lower in North Dakota.
North Dakota vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Dakota instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 20.6% more for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$23.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$11.93
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$2.26
|
|
Illinois vs. North Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.9% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$3.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$6.11
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$3.82
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$6.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$1.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.26
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.47
|
|
Illinois vs. North Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 13.9% less for transportation
|
Illinois
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.04
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$42.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$33,161.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
?? | |
Illinois vs. North Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 6.7% less for housing
|
Illinois
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$73.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,021.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$800.42
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$186.50
|
|
Illinois vs. North Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 25.9% less for childcare
|
Illinois
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$1,026.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
?? | |
Illinois vs. North Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 3.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$5.47
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$6.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$58.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$13.94
|
|
Illinois vs. North Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.0% less for clothing
|
Illinois
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$50.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$54.42
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$85.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$88.33
|
|
Illinois vs. North Dakota - 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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