Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Nashville Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 16.3% more expensive than Nashville.
Chicago vs. Nashville Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Nashville, you would:
pay 12.8% more for restaurants
Nashville | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $16.50 | $20.50 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.99 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.77 | $2.96 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.32 | $2.33 | |
Nashville vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.9% more for groceries
Nashville | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.23 | $4.01 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.83 | $7.05 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.28 | $4.30 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.16 | $5.02 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.42 | $6.55 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.88 | $2.31 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.61 | $0.79 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.22 | $1.85 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.43 | $2.09 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.51 | $1.16 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.74 | $1.26 | |
Nashville vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 5.7% more for transportation
Nashville | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.98 | $3.81 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.00 | $75.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,916.90 | $35,691.85 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.43 | $14.43 | |
Nashville vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 4.4% more for housing
Nashville | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $70.01 | $65.83 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,802.92 | $2,418.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,640.62 | $1,692.50 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $164.13 | $141.41 | |
Nashville vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 46.8% more for childcare
Nashville | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,244.17 | $2,050.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $30,400.00 | $39,114.29 | |
Nashville vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 39.6% more for entertainment and sports
Nashville | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.96 | $5.53 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $8.97 | $17.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $46.00 | $71.80 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $15.00 | $18.00 | |
Nashville vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.7% more for clothing
Nashville | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $62.22 | $64.24 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $51.14 | $49.62 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $94.44 | $99.48 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $134.00 | $146.50 | |
Nashville 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: June 2026
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