Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. New Orleans Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 34.2% more expensive than New Orleans.
Chicago vs. New Orleans Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of New Orleans, you would:
pay 3.6% less for restaurants
New Orleans | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $26.00 | $20.50 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.96 | $2.96 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.10 | $2.33 | |
New Orleans vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.8% less for groceries
New Orleans | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.10 | $4.01 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.67 | $7.05 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.27 | $4.30 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.54 | $5.02 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.97 | $6.55 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.31 | $2.31 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.78 | $0.79 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.30 | $1.85 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.46 | $2.09 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.91 | $1.16 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.33 | $1.26 | |
New Orleans vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 21.2% more for transportation
New Orleans | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.98 | $3.81 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $45.00 | $75.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,884.90 | $35,691.85 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $15.43 | $14.43 | |
New Orleans vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 12.6% more for housing
New Orleans | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $71.46 | $65.83 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,825.00 | $2,418.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,166.67 | $1,692.50 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $174.91 | $141.41 | |
New Orleans vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 2.6 times more for childcare
New Orleans | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,563.89 | $2,050.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $10,230.00 | $39,114.29 | |
New Orleans vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 32.8% more for entertainment and sports
New Orleans | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.00 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.61 | $5.53 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $8.75 | $17.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $62.00 | $71.80 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.00 | $18.00 | |
New Orleans vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.6% more for clothing
New Orleans | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.00 | $64.24 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $43.00 | $49.62 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $71.00 | $99.48 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.50 | $146.50 | |
New Orleans 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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