Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Plaines vs. London Cost of Living Summary
Des Plaines is 13.0% cheaper than London.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.1% less in Des Plaines
- Groceries
-
pay 24.4% more in Des Plaines
- Transportation
-
pay 49.8% less in Des Plaines
- Housing
-
pay 12.8% less in Des Plaines
- Childcare
-
pay 24.0% less in Des Plaines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.3% more in Des Plaines
- Clothing
-
pay 23.9% less in Des Plaines
The cost of groceries and entertainment and sports in Des Plaines are more expensive than in London. Expenses including transportation, childcare, clothing, housing, and restaurants are lower in Des Plaines.
Des Plaines vs. London Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Plaines instead of London, you would:
pay 7.1% less for restaurants
|
London
|
Des Plaines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$26.73
£20.18
|
$15.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.02
£8.33
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.12
£2.36
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.93
£1.45
|
$2.25
|
|
London vs. Des Plaines - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.4% more for groceries
|
London
|
Des Plaines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.16
£1.63
|
$3.90
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.54
£4.18
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.58
£4.97
|
$3.49
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.02
£3.79
|
$4.13
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.95
£2.98
|
$5.56
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.53
£1.15
|
$2.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
£0.63
|
$0.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.44
£1.09
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.64
£1.24
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
£0.57
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.83
£0.63
|
$1.26
|
|
London vs. Des Plaines - Cost of groceries
pay 49.8% less for transportation
|
London
|
Des Plaines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.12
£5.38
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$240.54
£181.65
|
$60.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,798.76
£28,544.87
|
$29,500.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$31.75
£23.98
|
$15.68
|
|
London vs. Des Plaines - Cost of transportation
pay 12.8% less for housing
|
London
|
Des Plaines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$42.83
£32.34
|
$72.85
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,083.09
£2,328.29
|
$1,700.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,340.14
£1,767.22
|
$1,600.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$255.85
£193.21
|
$141.41
|
|
London vs. Des Plaines - Cost of housing
pay 24.0% less for childcare
|
London
|
Des Plaines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,480.84
£1,873.48
|
$1,628.82
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,512.27
£21,531.90
|
$24,601.00
|
|
London vs. Des Plaines - Cost of childcare
pay 2.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
London
|
Des Plaines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.69
£6.56
|
$6.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.21
£3.93
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$22.72
£17.16
|
$14.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$64.95
£49.05
|
$124.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$20.05
£15.14
|
$15.00
|
|
London vs. Des Plaines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.9% less for clothing
|
London
|
Des Plaines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$116.11
£87.68
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$52.02
£39.29
|
$48.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$125.96
£95.13
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$160.88
£121.49
|
$124.00
|
|
London vs. Des Plaines - 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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United Kingdom vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United Kingdom and United States.
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 Des Plaines or London. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.