Cost of living comparison
compared to
Switzerland vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
Switzerland is 70.0% more expensive than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.1 times more in Switzerland
- Groceries
-
pay 55.5% more in Switzerland
- Transportation
-
pay 2.0 times more in Switzerland
- Housing
-
pay 21.9% more in Switzerland
- Childcare
-
pay 60.5% more in Switzerland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 51.5% more in Switzerland
- Clothing
-
pay 90.0% more in Switzerland
The cost of restaurants, transportation, clothing, childcare, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Switzerland are more expensive than in Illinois. Notably, restaurants, transportation, and clothing are significantly more expensive in Switzerland.
Switzerland vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 2.1 times more for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$32.37
CHF26.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$18.82
CHF15.13
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$5.26
CHF4.23
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$4.76
CHF3.83
|
|
Illinois vs. Switzerland - Cost of restaurants
pay 55.5% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$3.73
CHF2.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$14.66
CHF11.79
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$8.19
CHF6.59
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$7.43
CHF5.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$14.43
CHF11.60
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.69
CHF1.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$1.10
CHF0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.35
CHF1.08
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.94
CHF2.36
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.16
CHF0.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.10
CHF0.88
|
|
Illinois vs. Switzerland - Cost of groceries
pay 2.0 times more for transportation
|
Illinois
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$8.41
CHF6.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$119.36
CHF95.96
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$40,637.10
CHF32,669.26
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
$45.06
CHF36.22
|
|
Illinois vs. Switzerland - Cost of transportation
pay 21.9% more for housing
|
Illinois
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$59.20
CHF47.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,797.02
CHF1,444.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$1,562.03
CHF1,255.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$197.97
CHF159.15
|
|
Illinois vs. Switzerland - Cost of housing
pay 60.5% more for childcare
|
Illinois
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$2,700.86
CHF2,171.30
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
$33,359.10
CHF26,818.28
|
|
Illinois vs. Switzerland - Cost of childcare
pay 51.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$8.73
CHF7.01
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$6.04
CHF4.86
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$11.28
CHF9.07
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$101.44
CHF81.55
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$24.10
CHF19.37
|
|
Illinois vs. Switzerland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 90.0% more for clothing
|
Illinois
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$142.30
CHF114.40
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$70.55
CHF56.71
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$162.86
CHF130.93
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$202.63
CHF162.90
|
|
Illinois vs. Switzerland - 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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