Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Miami Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 7.6% more expensive than Miami.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.9% less in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 0.1% less in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 7.4% less in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 2.4% less in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 45.2% more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.2% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 14.7% more in Chicago
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Chicago are more expensive than in Miami. Expenses including restaurants, transportation, housing, and groceries are lower in Chicago.
Chicago vs. Miami Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Miami, you would:
pay 18.9% less for restaurants
|
Miami
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$30.00
|
$20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.45
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.97
|
$2.33
|
|
Miami vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.1% less for groceries
|
Miami
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.95
|
$4.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.71
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.18
|
$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.65
|
$6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.28
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.95
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.14
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.52
|
$1.26
|
|
Miami vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 7.4% less for transportation
|
Miami
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.29
|
$3.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$103.75
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,105.50
|
$35,691.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.38
|
$14.43
|
|
Miami vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 2.4% less for housing
|
Miami
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$64.02
|
$65.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,961.90
|
$2,418.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,080.77
|
$1,692.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$113.50
|
$141.41
|
|
Miami vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 45.2% more for childcare
|
Miami
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,504.55
|
$2,050.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,375.00
|
$39,114.29
|
|
Miami vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 22.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Miami
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.53
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.27
|
$71.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$18.00
|
|
Miami vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.7% more for clothing
|
Miami
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$56.79
|
$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$92.62
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.71
|
$146.50
|
|
Miami 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
Change currency:
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 Miami. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.