Cost of living comparison
Chicago is 4.4% more expensive than Sydney.
If you lived in Chicago instead of Sydney, you would:
pay 11.3% more for restaurants
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.01
A$24.51
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.01
A$15.32
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.30
A$3.52
|
$2.53
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
A$3.27
|
$2.09
|
|
pay 16.8% more for groceries
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.56
A$3.91
|
$3.27
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.78
A$7.31
|
$7.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.57
A$10.05
|
$3.46
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.14
A$6.34
|
$4.10
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.89
A$5.95
|
$5.61
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.43
A$2.18
|
$2.54
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.14
A$1.74
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.25
A$1.91
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.36
A$3.61
|
$2.04
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.14
A$1.75
|
$1.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.02
A$1.56
|
$1.06
|
|
pay 13.2% less for transportation
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.16
A$7.89
|
$4.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$145.04
A$221.98
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,545.49
A$36,034.13
|
$23,200.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.28
A$27.98
|
$20.35
|
|
pay 4.4% more for housing
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$54.83
A$83.92
|
$66.36
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,983.29
A$3,035.24
|
$2,007.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,436.20
A$2,197.98
|
$1,417.93
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.10
A$202.17
|
$127.84
|
|
pay 33.5% more for childcare
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,738.06
A$2,659.93
|
$1,784.74
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,702.02
A$24,030.46
|
$25,786.67
|
|
pay 1.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.67
A$10.21
|
$6.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.22
A$4.92
|
$5.13
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$27.56
A$42.17
|
$15.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.90
A$94.74
|
$63.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.01
A$24.51
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 23.3% less for clothing
|
Sydney
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$80.63
A$123.39
|
$59.55
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$55.89
A$85.53
|
$39.58
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$114.63
A$175.43
|
$90.92
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$135.32
A$207.10
|
$111.88
|
|
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