City comparison
Bentonville, AR is about 500 miles (850 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 650 miles, or about 11 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 Bentonville, AR to Chicago, IL takes about 1 h 2 min, covering roughly 500 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 54,513 in Bentonville — about 49.9× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 35 sq mi for Bentonville.
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 | Bentonville | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,151/mo | $1,314/mo | 14.2% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $338,500 | $304,500 | 11.2% higher in Bentonville |
| Median household income | $99,074 | $71,673 | 38.2% higher in Bentonville |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 106.4 | 13.1% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 76.9 | 84.4 | 9.7% higher in Chicago |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 100.3 | 4.8% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 95.3 | 100.2 | 5.2% 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 Bentonville, you'd need $121,143 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Bentonville, AR is about 17.5% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 42% higher in Chicago than in Bentonville. If you earn $80,000 in Bentonville, you'd need about $96,914 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.