Should you visit Chicago or San Diego?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Chicago and San Diego can help you decide which place is right for you.
Chicago
Located in the Midwest, Chicago is the third largest city in the United States. It has a population of almost 3 million and a metropolitan area that covers more than 10,000 square kilometers. It is also a hub for music, comedy and theater. It's skyline is beautiful with modern skyscrapers and Lake Michigan as a backdrop. It is easy to stay entertained in Chicago for weeks. There are world class museums, upscale or eclectic shopping opportunities, and impressive architecture.
San Diego
For many visitors and locals alike, San Diego is a paradise. Located in southern California, not far from Los Angeles, it has the perfect climate, wonderful beaches, and a culturally rich environment. It's surrounded by beautiful landscape and has a strong focus on wildlife conservation and eco-friendly living. Home to about 1.3 million residents, it is California's second largest city. It also has many universities, a large tech industry, and a thriving economy. Despite its size, many people perceive San Diego as a slower, more relaxed city with a pleasant vibe away from the chaos of a large city.
Which city is cheaper, San Diego or Chicago?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Chicago is $221, while the average daily cost in San Diego is $161. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Chicago and San Diego in more detail.
Accommodation
Chicago's average price for two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room is $304. A typical place to stay for one person, per day is $152.
For a normal double-occupancy room in San Diego, $182 is the average cost for a hotel room. Also in San Diego, the typical price for a place to stay for one person is $91, such as in a hostel.
Food
The price of a meal in Chicago can vary widely. However, the average price for food per day is $37 per person, and a typical meal will cost around $15 based on the spending of previous visitors. Less expensive dining options can be found by eating street food or at fast food restaurants.
The price of a meal in San Diego can vary widely. However, the average price for food per day is $36 per person, and a typical meal will cost around $14 based on the spending of previous visitors. Less expensive dining options can be found by eating street food or at fast food restaurants.
-
Food
Meals for one day
Chicago $37
San Diego $36
Typical Food prices in Chicago
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Chicago:
-
Dinner for 1
$24
-
Dinner for 3
$118
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Chicago
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Chicago.
-
Traveling Spoon Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza Private Online Cooking Class:
$27
-
Factories to Calories Fulton Market Food Tour:
$46
-
Learn to Make Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza with a Local:
$49
-
Chicago Crime & Pizza Walk:
$50
-
Lonely Planet Experiences: Chicago History and Food Tour:
$59
-
Lonely Planet Experiences: River North Historical Food Tour:
$61
-
Signature Food Tour at Chicago's Navy Pier:
$64
-
Best in Chow: Chicago River North Food Tour:
$64
-
Private Fusion Cooking Class in Downtown Chicago:
$64
-
Skip the Line: Tommy Gun's Garage Dinner and Show Ticket:
$67
-
Small-Group Chicago Food Tour: Gold Coast and Old Town:
$75
-
Best of Chicago Tour Including a Deep-Dish Pizza:
$75
Typical Food prices in San Diego
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to San Diego:
-
Mexican Lunch for Two
$27
-
Breakfast at Starbucks
$20
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in San Diego
For San Diego, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
-
San Diego North Park Food Tour:
$49
-
Liberty Station Food Tour:
$49
-
Market and Guacamole Cooking Class in Tijuana Mexico:
$89
-
Private Cooking Demonstration of Indian Fusion Cuisine in San Diego:
$96
-
Farmers Market Tour & Social Cooking With A Chef:
$100
-
San Diego Harbor Dinner Cruise:
$111
-
Dinner Cruise:
$117
-
Private Tour: Secret Food Tours San Diego:
$129
-
Secret Food Tours San Diego w/ Private Tour Option:
$277
Local Transportation
While taxis and private drivers typically cost much more than public transportation, people usually spend around $29 per day to get around in Chicago.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in San Diego than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $19 on transportation in San Diego on average per day.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Chicago
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Chicago:
-
Parking
$19
-
Taxi Ride
$10
-
Taxi from Airport
$45
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Chicago
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Chicago:
-
Private Sedan Transfer between ORD and Indianapolis IN:
$587
-
Private SUV Transfer Between O'Hare airport & Downtown Madison WI:
$427
-
Private Sedan Transfer Between O'Hare airport & Downtown Madison WI:
$426
-
Departure Private Transfer Chicago to O'Hare Airport ORD in a Minibus:
$333
-
Arrival Private Transfer Chicago O'Hare Airport to Chicago City by Minibus:
$333
-
Private SUV Transfer Between O'Hare airport & Downtown Milwaukee WI:
$298
-
Transfer to Chicago Premium Outlets:
$288
-
Private Sedan Transfer Between O'Hare airport & Downtown Milwaukee WI:
$266
-
Chicago Midway Airport/Hotel Round Trip Private Ground Transfer:
$256
-
Chicago O'Hare Private Ground Airport/Hotel Transfer - Round-Trip:
$256
-
Private One-Way Midway Airport Transfer:
$225
-
Chicago O'Hare Airport Private Transfers:
$195
Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Diego
Also for San Diego, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
-
Arrival Private Transfer San Diego Airport SAN to San Diego City by Business Car:
$71
-
Arrival Private Transfer San Diego Airport SAN to San Diego by Executive SUV:
$85
-
Arrival and Departure Transfer: Hotel to and from San Diego International Airport:
$70
-
Departure Private Transfer San Diego to San Diego Airport SAN in Business Car:
$63
-
Private Airport Transfer San Deigo Arrival And Departure:
$67
-
Private Airport Transfer: Hotel to and from San Diego International Airport:
$70
-
Private Airport Transfer: San Diego International Airport (SAN) to San Diego:
$46
-
Private Airport Transfer: from San Diego to San Diego Int. Airport (SAN):
$35
-
Private Arrival Transfer from SAN San Diego Airport to San Diego City:
$49
-
Private Arrival Transfer from San Diego Airport SAN:
$48
-
Private Departure Transfer from San Diego to SAN San Diego Airport:
$46
-
Private Departure Transfer to San Diego Airport SAN:
$48
Is it cheaper to fly into Chicago or San Diego?
Prices for flights to both San Diego and Chicago change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Activities, things to do, and other forms of entertainment usually cost around $34 per person, per day in Chicago. This cost includes the price of admission tickets to attractions and museums as well as daily tours.
Sightseeing expenses in San Diego, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $38 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in Chicago
Here are a few typical costs in Chicago for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
Tours and Activities in Chicago
Here are a few actual costs in Chicago for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
-
2 Hour Chicago Art and Architecture Segway Tour:
$71
-
2 Hour Pier Fireworks and Evening Segway Tour in Chicago:
$65
-
2 Hours Chicago Sightseeing Tour - Luxury Private Stretch Limo / 8 Passengers:
$250
-
2-Hour Chicago City Lights and Skyline Segway Tour:
$76
-
2-Hour Chicago Fireworks Segway Tour:
$76
-
2-Hour Chicago Lakefront and Museum Campus Segway Tour:
$73
-
2-Hour Haunted Segway Tour of Chicago:
$76
-
2-Hour History of Chicago Architecture and Art Segway Tour:
$75
-
3 Hours Chicago Sightseeing Tour - Luxury Private SUV, ALL Inclusive:
$392
-
3-Hour Segway Tour of Chicago:
$76
-
360 Chicago Observation Deck Admission: Skip the Ticket Desk:
$25
-
4 Hours Chicago Sightseeing Tour - Luxury Private SUV, ALL Inclusive:
$220
Typical Entertainment prices in San Diego
For San Diego, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
-
San Diego Zoo
$15
-
Sea World Parking
$12
Tours and Activities in San Diego
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for San Diego.
-
La Jolla: Explore California's Riviera on a self-guided audio tour:
$5.40
-
San Diego Zoo Hunt: Roar with Rex Adventure at the San Diego Zoo:
$12
-
San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter Historic True Crime Tour:
$16
-
San Diego Scavenger Hunt Adventure:
$21
-
San Diego Balboa Park Scavenger Hunt Adventure:
$21
-
Behind-the-Scenes at Petco Park Tour:
$23
-
San Diego Gaslamp District Ghost Tour:
$24
-
Tijuana Walking Tour from San Diego:
$28
-
San Diego Harbor Cruise:
$28
-
Harbor Cruise:
$28
-
Off the grid Christian tour.:
$28
-
Old Town Scavenger Hunt, Walking Tour:
$29
Alcohol
While the amount that someone spends on alcohol while visiting Chicago may vary from person to person, on average a person spends $20 per day on alcoholic beverages.
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In San Diego, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is $17.
Sample the Local Flavors in Chicago
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Chicago:
-
Haunted Chicago Ghost and Pub Walking Tour:
$25
-
Walking tour to Chicago dive bars:
$41
-
Chicago Barrel Bus Craft Distillery Tour:
$90
-
Chicago Craft Brewery Barrel Bus Tour:
$90
-
Ultimate Girl's Night Out in Sparkling Wine, Photo Shoot, Burlesque:
$900
Sample the Local Flavors in San Diego
Also in San Diego, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
-
San Diego Bar Hunt: Slammin' San Diego Bar Crawl:
$12
-
Wine Tasting Or Beer Tasting:
$15
-
San Diego Brewery Tour:
$85
-
San Diego Micro Brewery Tour:
$91
-
The San Diego Downtown Craft Brewery Tour:
$95
-
The San Diego Downtown Craft Brewery Tour:
$101
-
Private San Diego Brewery Tour:
$107
-
All inclusive brewery tour-Fire Truck:
$189
-
Luxury Private Wine Tasting Tour to Guadalupe Valley from San Diego.:
$249
-
Private Wine Tour of Temecula from San Diego:
$475
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Chicago and San Diego, we can see that Chicago is more expensive. And not only is San Diego much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to San Diego would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in San Diego and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Chicago would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Chicago than you might in San Diego.
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