Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
United States is 2.5% more expensive than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.2% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 9.7% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 0.4% less in United States
- Housing
-
pay 11.7% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 6.0% less in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.4% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 6.4% less in United States
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in United States are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including clothing, childcare, and transportation are lower in United States.
United States vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 8.2% more for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$2.00
|
|
Illinois vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.7% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.38
|
|
Illinois vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 0.4% less for transportation
|
Illinois
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
$17.61
|
|
Illinois vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 11.7% more for housing
|
Illinois
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$150.19
|
|
Illinois vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 6.0% less for childcare
|
Illinois
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Illinois vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 0.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$13.64
|
|
Illinois vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.4% less for clothing
|
Illinois
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$112.04
|
|
Illinois vs. United States - 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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