Chicago at a glance
- Chicago ranks 14th of 27 priced cities in United States of America on cost: $2,701 a month in essentials, 40% above Detroit, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $4,984 covers that 1.8×.
- 99 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at county level.
- PM2.5 averages 10.3 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 27 United States of America cities we track, so every row says whether Chicago is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $2,701 | $2,701 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,677 | $1,633 | $44 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $2,443 | $2,030 | $413 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $271 | $275 | $4 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $420 | $491 | $71 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $258 | $294 | $36 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $75 | $90 | $15 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $4,984 | $4,668 | $315 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $2,803 | $2,646 | $157 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $4,673 | $3,929 | $744 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Chicago, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $24.00 | $4.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $80.00 | $90.00 | $10.00 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $14.00 | $12.00 | $2.00 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $5.54 | $5.89 | $0.35 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $7.00 | $7.50 | $0.50 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $9.00 | $9.00 | same |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $2.72 | $3.10 | $0.38 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $2.33 | $2.37 | $0.04 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.30 | $1.19 | $0.11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $4.20 | $4.14 | $0.06 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $5.61 | $5.46 | $0.15 |
| Eggs, 12 | $4.81 | $5.25 | $0.44 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $14.19 | $14.45 | $0.26 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $14.88 | $14.23 | $0.65 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $5.35 | $5.35 | same |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.87 | $1.84 | $0.03 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $4.75 | $5.29 | $0.54 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.55 | $2.94 | $0.39 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.61 | $3.07 | $0.46 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $2.69 | $2.50 | $0.19 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $2.50 | $2.50 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $75.00 | $90.00 | $15.00 |
| Taxi start | $3.25 | $3.10 | $0.15 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.40 | $1.71 | $0.31 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.15 | $1.05 | $0.10 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $193.45 | $221.77 | $28.32 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $64.33 | $73.58 | $9.25 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $67.86 | $67.86 | same |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $71.48 | $63.11 | $8.37 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $17.00 | $15.50 | $1.50 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Chicago has 99 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (county level). That is the 19th-highest of 27 United States of America cities we track. United States of America's national figure is 106.9, so Chicago runs 8 below the country as a whole.
Every United States of America region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Chicago ranks against every city we track
Chicago sits ahead of 97% of the 545 cities we track on local salary. On salary against local costs it is ahead of 83% of 534. Its weakest measure is city-centre rent, ahead of only 5% of 553.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Chicago sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: File:Chicago River ferry.jpg: John Picken derivative work: Georgfotoart, CC BY 2.0.
