City comparison
Ann Arbor, MI is about 200 miles (325 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 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 Ann Arbor, MI to Chicago, IL takes about 25 min, covering roughly 200 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 122,216 in Ann Arbor — about 22.3× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 28 sq mi for Ann Arbor.
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 | Ann Arbor | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,472/mo | $1,314/mo | 12.0% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Median home value | $416,500 | $304,500 | 36.8% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Median household income | $78,546 | $71,673 | 9.6% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 106.4 | 13.2% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 97.6 | 84.4 | 15.7% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 100.3 | 1.0% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 100.2 | 0.7% 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 Ann Arbor, you'd need $95,942 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chicago, IL is about 4.1% cheaper overall than Ann Arbor, MI, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% higher in Ann Arbor than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Ann Arbor, you'd need about $76,754 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.