Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Kentucky Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 39.9% more expensive than Kentucky.
Chicago vs. Kentucky Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Kentucky, you would:
pay 37.5% more for restaurants
|
Kentucky
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.79
|
$21.25
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.20
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.33
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.30
|
|
Kentucky vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.9% more for groceries
|
Kentucky
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.91
|
$3.92
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.53
|
$7.07
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$4.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.45
|
$4.78
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.99
|
$6.65
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.52
|
$2.39
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.72
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.87
|
$1.87
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.06
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
|
$1.24
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.23
|
|
Kentucky vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 30.2% more for transportation
|
Kentucky
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.44
|
$4.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.17
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,400.12
|
$36,531.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.39
|
$14.45
|
|
Kentucky vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 67.7% more for housing
|
Kentucky
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.67
|
$61.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,182.82
|
$2,400.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$938.27
|
$1,679.31
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.63
|
$147.87
|
|
Kentucky vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 19.5% more for childcare
|
Kentucky
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,588.30
|
$1,536.88
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$21,365.71
|
$31,537.78
|
|
Kentucky vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 41.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kentucky
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.28
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.13
|
$5.70
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.50
|
$16.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.58
|
$53.47
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.88
|
$18.00
|
|
Kentucky vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.8% more for clothing
|
Kentucky
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.64
|
$66.94
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.27
|
$51.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$99.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.74
|
$143.78
|
|
Kentucky vs. Chicago - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Kentucky vs. Chicago
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Chicago or Kentucky. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.