Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. New Orleans Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 34.2% more expensive than New Orleans.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.6% less in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 5.8% less in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 21.2% more in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 12.6% more in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 2.6 times more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.8% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 25.6% more in Chicago
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, and housing in Chicago are more expensive than in New Orleans. Expenses including groceries and restaurants are lower in Chicago. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chicago.
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: December 2025
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