Cost of living comparison
compared to
Virginia Beach vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
Virginia Beach is 2.1% more expensive than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.8% more in Virginia Beach
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2% less in Virginia Beach
- Transportation
-
pay 2.0% less in Virginia Beach
- Housing
-
pay 8.8% more in Virginia Beach
- Childcare
-
pay 10.9% less in Virginia Beach
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.7% less in Virginia Beach
- Clothing
-
pay 9.8% more in Virginia Beach
The cost of restaurants, clothing, and housing in Virginia Beach are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation are lower in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Virginia Beach instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 14.8% more for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$2.14
|
|
Illinois vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.2% less for groceries
|
Illinois
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$3.42
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$5.79
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$3.86
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$3.09
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.16
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.29
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.63
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.44
|
|
Illinois vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of groceries
pay 2.0% less for transportation
|
Illinois
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.12
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$35,463.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
$15.09
|
|
Illinois vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of transportation
pay 8.8% more for housing
|
Illinois
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$66.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,751.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$1,423.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$128.02
|
|
Illinois vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of housing
pay 10.9% less for childcare
|
Illinois
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$1,627.78
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
$16,105.33
|
|
Illinois vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of childcare
pay 3.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$5.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$43.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$12.00
|
|
Illinois vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.8% more for clothing
|
Illinois
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$60.92
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$47.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$109.45
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$125.00
|
|
Illinois vs. Virginia Beach - 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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