Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chicago vs. Phoenix Cost of Living Summary
Chicago is 23.5% more expensive than Phoenix.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.4% more in Chicago
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2% more in Chicago
- Transportation
-
pay 8.0% more in Chicago
- Housing
-
pay 4.2% more in Chicago
- Childcare
-
pay 97.0% more in Chicago
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.3% more in Chicago
- Clothing
-
pay 18.3% more in Chicago
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, housing, and restaurants in Chicago are more expensive than in Phoenix. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chicago.
Chicago vs. Phoenix Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chicago instead of Phoenix, you would:
pay 2.4% more for restaurants
|
Phoenix
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.25
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.80
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$2.33
|
|
Phoenix vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.2% more for groceries
|
Phoenix
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$4.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.38
|
$7.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.40
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.10
|
$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.93
|
$6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.06
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.63
|
$2.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.26
|
|
Phoenix vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries
pay 8.0% more for transportation
|
Phoenix
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$3.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,113.30
|
$35,691.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.94
|
$14.43
|
|
Phoenix vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation
pay 4.2% more for housing
|
Phoenix
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$81.88
|
$65.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,682.00
|
$2,418.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,405.24
|
$1,692.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$196.17
|
$141.41
|
|
Phoenix vs. Chicago - Cost of housing
pay 97.0% more for childcare
|
Phoenix
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,271.43
|
$2,050.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,800.00
|
$39,114.29
|
|
Phoenix vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare
pay 32.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Phoenix
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.04
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.62
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.36
|
$71.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.50
|
$18.00
|
|
Phoenix vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.3% more for clothing
|
Phoenix
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.12
|
$64.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.72
|
$99.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.79
|
$146.50
|
|
Phoenix 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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