City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 250 miles (400 km) from Cincinnati, OH in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 325 miles, or about 5 h 15 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 Chicago, IL to Cincinnati, OH takes about 30 min, covering roughly 250 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 308,870 in Cincinnati — about 8.8× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 78 sq mi for Cincinnati.
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 | Chicago | Cincinnati | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $893/mo | 47.1% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $192,000 | 58.6% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $49,191 | 45.7% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 94.0 | 13.2% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 91.0 | 7.9% higher in Cincinnati |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 98.8 | 1.5% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 99.0 | 1.2% 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 Chicago, you'd need $87,972 in Cincinnati to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Cincinnati, OH is about 12% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 29% higher in Chicago than in Cincinnati. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $70,378 in Cincinnati to keep the same standard of living.