City comparison
Alexandria, LA is about 800 miles (1,200 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 950 miles, or about 16 hours behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Alexandria, LA to Chicago, IL takes about 1 h 33 min, covering roughly 800 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Chicago has a population of 2,721,914, vs 45,133 in Alexandria — about 60.3× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 28 sq mi for Alexandria.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Alexandria | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $928/mo | $1,314/mo | 41.6% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $179,900 | $304,500 | 69.3% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $49,049 | $71,673 | 46.1% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 94.1 | 106.4 | 13.0% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 73.2 | 84.4 | 15.2% higher in Chicago |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 100.3 | 4.3% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 95.6 | 100.2 | 4.8% higher in Chicago |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Alexandria, you'd need $136,650 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Alexandria, LA is about 26.8% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 101% higher in Chicago than in Alexandria. If you earn $80,000 in Alexandria, you'd need about $109,320 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.