Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Las Vegas Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 46.4% more expensive than Las Vegas.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2% less in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 18.1% more in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 0.1% less in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 7.9% more in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 3.0 times more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 65.1% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 37.5% more in Chicago
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, groceries, and housing in Chicago are more expensive than in Las Vegas. Expenses including restaurants and transportation are lower in Chicago. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chicago.
Chicago vs. Las Vegas Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Las Vegas, you would:
pay 2.2% less for restaurants
|
Las Vegas
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$24.00
|
$20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.88
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.21
|
$2.33
|
|
Las Vegas vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.1% more for groceries
|
Las Vegas
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.97
|
$4.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.13
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.66
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.39
|
$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.36
|
$6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.11
|
$1.26
|
|
Las Vegas vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 0.1% less for transportation
|
Las Vegas
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.79
|
$3.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$64.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,457.52
|
$35,691.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.22
|
$14.43
|
|
Las Vegas vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 7.9% more for housing
|
Las Vegas
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$75.63
|
$65.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,618.96
|
$2,418.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,406.65
|
$1,692.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$188.62
|
$141.41
|
|
Las Vegas vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 3.0 times more for childcare
|
Las Vegas
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,179.50
|
$2,050.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,250.00
|
$39,114.29
|
|
Las Vegas vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 65.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Las Vegas
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.71
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$24.38
|
$71.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.00
|
$18.00
|
|
Las Vegas vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 37.5% more for clothing
|
Las Vegas
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$42.89
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.46
|
$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.09
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.18
|
$146.50
|
|
Las Vegas vs. Chicago - 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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