Cost of living comparison

Netherlands

compared to

United States

Chicago vs. The Hague (Den Haag) Cost of Living Summary

Chicago is 7.5% more expensive than The Hague (Den Haag).

Restaurants: pay 16.8% less in Chicago
Groceries: pay 38.8% more in Chicago
Transportation: pay 34.9% less in Chicago
Housing: pay 23.3% more in Chicago
Childcare: pay 30.1% more in Chicago
Entertainment and Sports: pay 8.8% more in Chicago
Clothing: pay 4.9% less in Chicago

The cost of groceries, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports in Chicago are more expensive than in The Hague (Den Haag). Expenses including transportation, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Chicago.

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Chicago vs. The Hague (Den Haag) Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Chicago instead of The Hague (Den Haag), you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 16.8% less for restaurants

	The Hague (Den Haag)	Chicago
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$22.39 €19.93	$21.25	-5.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$15.14 €13.48	$13.00	-14.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$4.24 €3.77	$2.66	-37.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$4.20 €3.74	$2.30	-45.2%
Average			-16.8%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. Chicago - Cost of restaurants

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pay 38.8% more for groceries

	The Hague (Den Haag)	Chicago
Bread 1 loaf	$2.25 €2.01	$3.92	+74.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.34 €6.53	$7.07	-3.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.61 €4.99	$4.97	-11.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.49 €4.00	$4.78	+6.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.90 €5.25	$6.65	+12.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.19 €1.06	$2.39	+101.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.01 €0.90	$0.89	-11.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.91 €0.81	$1.87	+105.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.65 €1.47	$2.21	+34.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.61 €0.54	$1.24	+103.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.59 €0.53	$1.23	+106.8%
Average			+38.8%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. Chicago - Cost of groceries

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pay 34.9% less for transportation

	The Hague (Den Haag)	Chicago
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$9.81 €8.73	$4.66	-52.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$92.38 €82.22	$75.00	-18.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$41,419.02 €36,864.42	$36,531.00	-11.8%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$31.97 €28.45	$14.45	-54.8%
Average			-34.9%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. Chicago - Cost of transportation

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pay 23.3% more for housing

	The Hague (Den Haag)	Chicago
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$54.98 €48.93	$61.13	+11.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,637.61 €1,457.53	$2,400.00	+46.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,287.70 €1,146.10	$1,679.31	+30.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$213.06 €189.63	$147.87	-30.6%
Average			+23.3%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. Chicago - Cost of housing

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pay 30.1% more for childcare

	The Hague (Den Haag)	Chicago
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$2,433.81 €2,166.18	$1,536.88	-36.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$11,757.22 €10,464.35	$31,537.78	+168.2%
Average			+30.1%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. Chicago - Cost of childcare

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pay 8.8% more for entertainment and sports

	The Hague (Den Haag)	Chicago
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$7.28 €6.48	$7.00	-3.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.37 €3.89	$5.70	+30.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$14.56 €12.96	$16.00	+9.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$50.89 €45.29	$53.47	+5.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$16.80 €14.95	$18.00	+7.2%
Average			+8.8%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. Chicago - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 4.9% less for clothing

	The Hague (Den Haag)	Chicago
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$94.97 €84.52	$66.94	-29.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$43.25 €38.49	$51.67	+19.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$106.75 €95.01	$99.58	-6.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$137.80 €122.64	$143.78	+4.3%
Average			-4.9%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. Chicago - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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