Chicago Among Top 10 Most Expensive Places Across the World, Ranking Above New York City: List

Compared to major cities across the globe, Chicago was named among the top 10 most expensive places to live, according to a newly released ranking. In a list from Budget Direct, Chicago took No. 8 out of 30 cities with the highest cost of living worldwide, ranking just one spot above New York City. Chicago’s overall cost of living minus the average salary was equal to $3,379.48, the company found. The average monthly salary was $5,489.23, while the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $1,837.27 and utilities were $167.71. In Chicago, Budget Direct found that it typically cost $104.77 each month for transportation. Overall, the cost of living was calculated to be $2,109.75. Here’s where other cities ranked: Seattle, Washington San Francisco, California Geneva, Switzerland Houston, Texas Los Angeles, California Toronto, Canada Canberra, Australia Chicago, Illinois New York City, New York Melbourne, Australia Sydney, Australia Oslo, Norway Copenhagen, Denmark Amsterdam, Netherlands Gothenburg, Sweden Berlin, Germany Munich, Germany Vancouver, Canada Singapore, Singapore Tokyo, Japan Stockholm, Sweden Reykjavik, Iceland Edinburgh, Scotland Manchester, England Helsinki, Finland Seoul, Korea London, United Kingdom Cardiff, Wales Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Tel Aviv, Israel In order to get the final listing, Budget Direct looked at basic costs such as transport, utilities and rent and measured them against average salaries, the company said in a release. Chicago also ranked No. 18 among the most expensive places for fitness and leisure, where the company compared the cost of fuel, a dinner for two and a fitness pass to the average cost of living. Last month, several Chicago-area suburbs earned spots among the best places to buy a house in Illinois in a new ranking, with three placed in the top 10. Based on public schools, crime and safety, housing, nightlife, diversity and how good for raising a family, the newly released ranking from Niche gave scores to suburbs across the state. Suburban Long Grove ranked as the second best place to purchase a home in Illinois, while Kildeer earned a No. 5 spot and Fox River Grove was ranked No. 6. Long Grove also ranked as the best place to raise a family in Illinois and the fourth best location nationwide, according to the list. The suburb scored an overall A+ score, with an A+ in public schools, A in housing, A+ in “good for families,” B in nightlife and B- in diversity. According to Niche, Long Grove has a population of nearly 8,000 residents with a median home value of $648,700. Chicago-area’s Kildeer, which has a population around 4,000, also earned an A+ overall grade, with an A+ in public schools, A in housing, A+ in “good for families” B+ for crime and safety, B- in nightlife and C+ in diversity, the list showed. With a median home value of $631,500, Kildeer was also graded an A- in jobs based on employment rates, jobs, business growth and cost of living. The median household income is $211,063, Niche calculated. Fox River Grove was graded an A+, as well, overall, with an A+ in public schools, A in housing, A+ in “good for families,” A- in crime and safety, B+ in nightlife and B in diversity, the list showed. With a population of 4,676, Niche found that Fox River Grove’s median home value is $248,600. The suburb received an A- in jobs with a median household income of $112,917. After the top 10, here’s where some other suburbs ranked: No. 11: Forest Lake No. 13: Indian Head Park No. 15: Riverwoods No. 16: Inverness No. 17: Buffalo Grove

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