City comparison
Brentwood, TN is about 400 miles (650 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 500 miles, or about 8 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 Brentwood, TN to Chicago, IL takes about 49 min, covering roughly 400 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 44,830 in Brentwood — about 60.7× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 42 sq mi for Brentwood.
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 | Brentwood | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,459/mo | $1,314/mo | 87.1% higher in Brentwood |
| Median home value | $842,400 | $304,500 | 176.7% higher in Brentwood |
| Median household income | $181,576 | $71,673 | 153.3% higher in Brentwood |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 106.4 | 10.3% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 74.0 | 84.4 | 14.0% higher in Chicago |
| Transportation index | 95.6 | 100.3 | 4.9% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 95.1 | 100.2 | 5.4% 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 Brentwood, you'd need $103,496 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Brentwood, TN is about 3.4% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Brentwood, you'd need about $82,797 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.