Where you live now
AustinUnited States
$3,086
per month
Cost of living: Austin vs Chicago
Choose where you live now and another city. You'll see what a normal month costs in each: rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
Household
Rent
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Chicago is 11% more expensive than Austin.
Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
City to compare
ChicagoUnited States
$3,427
per month
Monthly costs by category
Show amounts in
| Category | Austin | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 1,900 | 2,200 | +16% |
| Groceries | 376 | 386 | +3% |
| Eating out | 319 | 335 | +5% |
| Getting around | 132 | 137 | +4% |
| Bills | 228 | 235 | +3% |
| Going out | 107 | 111 | +4% |
| Clothes | 23 | 23 | +1% |
| Total per month | 3,086 | 3,427 | +11% |
Chicago is 11% more expensive than Austin for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is rent (+16%); clothes is the closest (+1%). Someone spending $3,086 a month in Austin would need about $3,427 in Chicago for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 64% of the monthly budget in Chicago and 62% in Austin.
Chicago: no reports yet, so these numbers are starting estimates from the city's overall price level.How this is calculated
Prices
Everyday prices in Chicago
The typical price people paid recently, and how it compares with Austin. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.
Show amounts in
| Item | Typical price | What people paid | vs Austin | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, regularEstimated | $4.63 | +5% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated | $20.76 | +5% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Monthly public transport passEstimated | $114 | +4% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated | $2,200 | +16% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated | $1,584 | +16% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Milk, 1 LEstimated | $1.19 | +2% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Eggs, 12Estimated | $4.52 | +3% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated | $11.93 | +2% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated | $187 | +3% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated | $58.80 | +3% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated | $54.28 | +3% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Gym membership, monthlyEstimated | $79.12 | +4% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Cinema ticketEstimated | $15.83 | +4% vs Austin | 0 reports | |
| Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated | $62.72 | +1% vs Austin | 0 reports |
Most reports (10th–90th percentile)
Middle half of reports
Same item in Austin
All prices in Chicago
Method
Where the numbers come from
People who live in each city share what they paid. Every price is checked before it counts.
People share prices
Anyone can add what they paid, in their own currency. No account needed. A quick automatic check keeps bots out.
We check every price
Typos, wrong currencies and impossible amounts are caught. An unusual price only counts after someone else reports something similar.
We work out the typical price
We use the middle price of recent reports. When a city has only a few reports, we estimate the rest and label it "Estimated".
No reports in the last 30 days yet. When they arrive, you'll see here how many were counted, held for a second opinion or turned down.
Rankings
Most and least expensive cities
Monthly cost for one person renting in the city centre, in US dollars. Pick a city to compare it with Austin. See all 118 cities
Most expensive
Comparisons
Popular comparisons
Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.
- London vs New York$4,144 → $5,691+37%
- Lisbon vs London$2,242 → $4,144+85%
- Hong Kong vs Singapore$3,299 → $4,261+29%
- New York vs Tokyo$5,691 → $1,976−65%
- Berlin vs London$2,319 → $4,144+79%
- Dubai vs London$3,319 → $4,144+25%
- Amsterdam vs Berlin$3,303 → $2,319−30%
- Barcelona vs Madrid$2,227 → $2,151−3%
- Lisbon vs Porto$2,242 → $1,840−18%
- Melbourne vs Sydney$2,803 → $3,486+24%
- Toronto vs Vancouver$3,003 → $3,103+3%
- Beijing vs Shanghai$1,723 → $1,840+7%
- Osaka vs Tokyo$1,574 → $1,976+25%
- Bangkok vs Singapore$1,304 → $4,261+227%
- Mexico City vs New York$1,680 → $5,691+239%
- Seoul vs Tokyo$1,961 → $1,976+1%
- London vs Paris$4,144 → $2,753−34%
- Dubai vs Singapore$3,319 → $4,261+28%
- New York vs San Francisco$5,691 → $4,850−15%
- Bangkok vs Chiang Mai$1,304 → $898−31%
- Buenos Aires vs São Paulo$1,316 → $1,3210%
- London vs Sydney$4,144 → $3,486−16%
- Austin vs San Francisco$3,086 → $4,850+57%
- Hong Kong vs Taipei$3,299 → $1,424−57%
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Rent, groceries, eating out and monthly budgets for every city we cover.
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Middle East & Africa 17
FAQ
Austin vs Chicago: common questions
Is Chicago cheaper than Austin?
No. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about $3,427 a month in Chicago, against $3,086 in Austin: 11% more.
How much is rent in Chicago compared with Austin?
A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of Chicago rents for about $2,200 a month, +16% compared with $1,900 in Austin. Outside the centre it's about $1,584 against $1,368.
How much money do I need to move from Austin to Chicago?
To keep the lifestyle that costs $3,086 a month in Austin, plan on about $3,427 in Chicago for one person. A family of four would need about $9,458, compared with $8,646 in Austin.
How much does eating out cost in Chicago vs Austin?
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about $20.76 in Chicago and $19.72 in Austin. A regular cappuccino is about $4.63 against $4.42.
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