Cost of living comparison
compared to
Illinois vs. Ireland Cost of Living Summary
Illinois is 16.8% more expensive than Ireland overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.9% less in Illinois
- Groceries
-
pay 22.0% more in Illinois
- Transportation
-
pay 35.8% less in Illinois
- Housing
-
pay 0.9% less in Illinois
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in Illinois
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.5% less in Illinois
- Clothing
-
pay 2.3% less in Illinois
The cost of childcare and groceries in Illinois are more expensive than in Ireland. Expenses including transportation, entertainment and sports, restaurants, clothing, and housing are lower in Illinois. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Illinois.
Illinois vs. Ireland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Illinois instead of Ireland, you would:
pay 4.9% less for restaurants
|
Ireland
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.70
€16.99
|
$16.12
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.31
€9.76
|
$10.72
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
€2.06
|
$2.52
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.91
€1.64
|
$1.88
|
|
Ireland vs. Illinois - Cost of restaurants
pay 22.0% more for groceries
|
Ireland
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.04
€1.76
|
$3.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.16
€4.45
|
$6.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.89
€5.08
|
$3.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.07
€3.51
|
$3.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.10
€4.39
|
$5.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.37
€1.18
|
$2.38
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.97
€0.84
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
€1.20
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.79
€1.54
|
$1.89
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.86
€0.74
|
$1.05
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.68
€0.59
|
$1.24
|
|
Ireland vs. Illinois - Cost of groceries
pay 35.8% less for transportation
|
Ireland
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.75
€6.68
|
$3.32
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$121.81
€105.04
|
$69.58
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$41,319.33
€35,630.77
|
$31,159.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.20
€19.14
|
$18.08
|
|
Ireland vs. Illinois - Cost of transportation
pay 0.9% less for housing
|
Ireland
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.47
€44.39
|
$72.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,543.12
€1,330.68
|
$1,332.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,305.59
€1,125.85
|
$1,112.01
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$178.90
€154.27
|
$151.79
|
|
Ireland vs. Illinois - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
Ireland
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,108.91
€956.25
|
$1,386.42
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,959.78
€6,001.60
|
$26,426.10
|
|
Ireland vs. Illinois - Cost of childcare
pay 12.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Ireland
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.63
€5.72
|
$5.38
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.32
€3.73
|
$5.01
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.16
€16.52
|
$10.78
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.57
€54.82
|
$54.91
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.32
€11.49
|
$13.02
|
|
Ireland vs. Illinois - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.3% less for clothing
|
Ireland
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$89.93
€77.55
|
$55.71
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.06
€35.41
|
$43.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$96.01
€82.79
|
$91.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.40
€83.13
|
$122.66
|
|
Ireland vs. Illinois - 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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