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 | Chicago | Columbia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,105/mo | 18.9% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $226,200 | 34.6% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $54,095 | 32.5% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 99.0 | 1.7% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 95.8 | 3.6% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 82.8 | 19.2% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 96.3 | 1.1% 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 Chicago, you'd need $90,042 in Columbia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Columbia, SC is about 10% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 16% lower in Columbia than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $72,034 in Columbia to keep the same standard of living.