City comparison
Appleton, WI is about 175 miles (275 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 30 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 Appleton, WI to Chicago, IL takes about 21 min, covering roughly 175 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 75,133 in Appleton — about 36.2× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 25 sq mi for Appleton.
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 | Appleton | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $913/mo | $1,314/mo | 43.9% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $192,200 | $304,500 | 58.4% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $75,469 | $71,673 | 5.3% higher in Appleton |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 106.4 | 13.1% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 90.7 | 84.4 | 7.5% higher in Appleton |
| Transportation index | 99.2 | 100.3 | 1.1% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 99.4 | 100.2 | 0.8% 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 Appleton, you'd need $122,077 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Appleton, WI is about 18.1% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 57% higher in Chicago than in Appleton. If you earn $80,000 in Appleton, you'd need about $97,661 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.