City comparison
Ankeny, IA is about 300 miles (500 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 375 miles, or about 6 h 15 min 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 Ankeny, IA to Chicago, IL takes about 37 min, covering roughly 300 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 68,392 in Ankeny — about 39.8× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 32 sq mi for Ankeny.
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 | Ankeny | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,289/mo | $1,314/mo | 1.9% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $281,700 | $304,500 | 8.1% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $101,151 | $71,673 | 41.1% higher in Ankeny |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 106.4 | 13.2% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 85.2 | 84.4 | 1.0% higher in Ankeny |
| Transportation index | 93.3 | 100.3 | 7.5% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 93.5 | 100.2 | 7.2% 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 Ankeny, you'd need $116,485 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ankeny, IA is about 14.2% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 29% higher in Chicago than in Ankeny. If you earn $80,000 in Ankeny, you'd need about $93,188 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.