Cost of living comparison
compared to
United Kingdom vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
United Kingdom is 7.3% more expensive than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.2% less in United Kingdom
- Groceries
-
pay 18.0% less in United Kingdom
- Transportation
-
pay 49.6% more in United Kingdom
- Housing
-
pay 1.0% more in United Kingdom
- Childcare
-
pay 8.1% less in United Kingdom
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.6% more in United Kingdom
- Clothing
-
pay 10.5% more in United Kingdom
The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing in United Kingdom are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including groceries, childcare, and restaurants are lower in United Kingdom.
United Kingdom vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 0.2% less for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$20.41
£15.41
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$9.94
£7.51
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$2.32
£1.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$1.65
£1.24
|
|
Illinois vs. United Kingdom - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.0% less for groceries
|
Illinois
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$1.59
£1.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$4.71
£3.55
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$6.20
£4.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$3.87
£2.92
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$3.87
£2.92
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.32
£1.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.73
£0.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.28
£0.97
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$1.49
£1.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$0.72
£0.54
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$0.71
£0.54
|
|
Illinois vs. United Kingdom - Cost of groceries
pay 49.6% more for transportation
|
Illinois
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$7.22
£5.45
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$99.05
£74.80
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$36,224.29
£27,355.86
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
$22.08
£16.67
|
|
Illinois vs. United Kingdom - Cost of transportation
pay 1.0% more for housing
|
Illinois
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$41.90
£31.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,285.79
£971.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$1,062.09
£802.07
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$233.57
£176.39
|
|
Illinois vs. United Kingdom - Cost of housing
pay 8.1% less for childcare
|
Illinois
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$1,530.71
£1,155.97
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
$19,375.12
£14,631.70
|
|
Illinois vs. United Kingdom - Cost of childcare
pay 16.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$6.35
£4.79
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$4.54
£3.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$19.18
£14.48
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$49.26
£37.20
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$13.88
£10.48
|
|
Illinois vs. United Kingdom - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.5% more for clothing
|
Illinois
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$86.00
£64.94
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$44.20
£33.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$95.21
£71.90
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$101.36
£76.54
|
|
Illinois vs. United Kingdom - 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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