Chicago vs. Republic of the Congo Cost of Living Summary

Chicago is 2.4 times more expensive than Republic of the Congo overall.

Restaurants
pay 62.1% more in Chicago
Groceries
pay 38.1% more in Chicago
Transportation
pay 56.1% more in Chicago
Housing
pay 2.1 times more in Chicago
Childcare
pay 6.6 times more in Chicago
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.1 times more in Chicago
Clothing
pay 42.3% more in Chicago

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, transportation, and clothing in Chicago are more expensive than in Republic of the Congo. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Chicago.

Chicago vs. Republic of the Congo Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Chicago instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:

pay 62.1% more for restaurants

 
Republic of the Congo
Chicago
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $13.06
FCFA7,315
$20.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.37
FCFA5,245
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.38
FCFA770
$2.96
 

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pay 38.1% more for groceries

 
Republic of the Congo
Chicago
Bread
1 loaf
$2.52
FCFA1,412
$4.01
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.66
FCFA2,610
$7.05
 
Milk (1 gallon) $8.84
FCFA4,950
$4.30
 

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pay 56.1% more for transportation

 
Republic of the Congo
Chicago
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.08
FCFA2,848
$3.81
 
Monthly public transit pass $22.59
FCFA12,652
$75.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,895.05
FCFA18,424,400
$35,691.85
 

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pay 2.1 times more for housing

 
Republic of the Congo
Chicago
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$65.34
FCFA36,595
$65.83
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $988.85
FCFA553,851
$2,418.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $393.90
FCFA220,624
$1,692.50
 

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pay 6.6 times more for childcare

 
Republic of the Congo
Chicago
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $303.92
FCFA170,222
$2,050.00
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,033.33
FCFA3,379,249
$39,114.29
 

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pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Republic of the Congo
Chicago
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.10
FCFA1,737
$7.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.75
FCFA2,660
$5.53
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.92
FCFA2,194
$17.00
 

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pay 42.3% more for clothing

 
Republic of the Congo
Chicago
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$41.67
FCFA23,337
$64.24
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.42
FCFA22,637
$49.62
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$91.11
FCFA51,031
$99.48
 

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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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