Cost of living comparison

compared to

Chicago vs. Marshall Islands Cost of Living Summary

Chicago is 3.0 times more expensive than Marshall Islands overall.

Restaurants
pay 45.0% more in Chicago
Groceries
pay 27.8% less in Chicago
Transportation
pay 16.1% more in Chicago
Housing
pay 69.6% more in Chicago
Childcare
pay 12.3 times more in Chicago
Entertainment and Sports
pay 69.1% more in Chicago
Clothing
pay 97.8% more in Chicago

The cost of childcare, clothing, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and transportation in Chicago are more expensive than in Marshall Islands. Notably, childcare and clothing are significantly more expensive in Chicago.

Chicago vs. Marshall Islands Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Chicago instead of Marshall Islands, you would:

pay 45.0% more for restaurants

 
Marshall Islands
Chicago
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $13.75
 
$20.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.50
 
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.83
 
$2.96
 

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pay 27.8% less for groceries

 
Marshall Islands
Chicago
Bread
1 loaf
$3.40
 
$4.01
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $14.57
 
$7.05
 
Milk (1 gallon) $8.52
 
$4.30
 

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pay 16.1% more for transportation

 
Marshall Islands
Chicago
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.81
 
$3.81
 
Monthly public transit pass ?? $75.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,500.00
 
$35,691.85
 

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pay 69.6% more for housing

 
Marshall Islands
Chicago
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$76.67
 
$65.83
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $766.67
 
$2,418.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $833.33
 
$1,692.50
 

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pay 12.3 times more for childcare

 
Marshall Islands
Chicago
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $150.00
 
$2,050.00
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $3,570.00
 
$39,114.29
 

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pay 69.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Marshall Islands
Chicago
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.50
 
$7.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.06
 
$5.53
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
?? $17.00
 

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pay 97.8% more for clothing

 
Marshall Islands
Chicago
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$57.50
 
$64.24
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.00
 
$49.62
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$35.00
 
$99.48
 

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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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See the cost of living in Marshall Islands vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Marshall Islands and United States.

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