City comparison
Beaumont, TX is about 900 miles (1,400 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,100 miles, or about 19 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 Beaumont, TX to Chicago, IL takes about 1 h 47 min, covering roughly 900 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 114,573 in Beaumont — about 23.8× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 82 sq mi for Beaumont.
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 | Beaumont | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $992/mo | $1,314/mo | 32.5% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $150,400 | $304,500 | 102.5% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $53,745 | $71,673 | 33.4% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 106.4 | 12.9% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.2 | 84.4 | ≈ equal (Chicago slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 100.3 | 3.8% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 100.2 | 4.3% 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 Beaumont, you'd need $123,739 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Beaumont, TX is about 19.2% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 55% higher in Chicago than in Beaumont. If you earn $80,000 in Beaumont, you'd need about $98,991 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.