Cost of living comparison

compared to

Phoenix vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary

Phoenix is 3.9% more expensive than Illinois.

Restaurants
pay 17.3% more in Phoenix
Groceries
pay 12.0% more in Phoenix
Transportation
pay 3.0% less in Phoenix
Housing
pay 23.8% more in Phoenix
Childcare
pay 22.4% less in Phoenix
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.8% more in Phoenix
Clothing
pay 4.3% less in Phoenix

The cost of housing, restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Phoenix are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and transportation are lower in Phoenix.

Phoenix vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Phoenix instead of Illinois, you would:

pay 17.3% more for restaurants

 
Illinois
Phoenix
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.12
 
$20.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.72
 
$12.25
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.52
 
$2.80
 

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pay 12.0% more for groceries

 
Illinois
Phoenix
Bread
1 loaf
$3.11
 
$4.20
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.06
 
$6.38
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.41
 
$3.40
 

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pay 3.0% less for transportation

 
Illinois
Phoenix
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.32
 
$3.52
 
Monthly public transit pass $69.58
 
$62.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,159.60
 
$36,113.30
 

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pay 23.8% more for housing

 
Illinois
Phoenix
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$72.20
 
$81.88
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,332.19
 
$1,682.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,112.01
 
$1,405.24
 

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pay 22.4% less for childcare

 
Illinois
Phoenix
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,386.42
 
$1,271.43
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $26,426.10
 
$16,800.00
 

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pay 3.8% more for entertainment and sports

 
Illinois
Phoenix
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.38
 
$6.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.01
 
$6.04
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$10.78
 
$11.62
 

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pay 4.3% less for clothing

 
Illinois
Phoenix
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$55.71
 
$53.12
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$43.50
 
$43.50
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$91.99
 
$91.72
 

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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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