City comparison
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 | Asheville | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,250/mo | $1,314/mo | 4.9% lower in A |
| Median home value | $376,800 | $304,500 | 23.7% higher in A |
| Median household income | $63,810 | $71,673 | 11.0% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 100.7 | 97.2 | 3.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.0 | 92.4 | 6.1% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 85.7 | 98.6 | 13.1% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 100.9 | 97.4 | 3.6% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Asheville, you'd need $103,655 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Asheville, NC is about 3.5% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 5% lower in Asheville than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Asheville, you'd need about $82,924 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.