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 | Des Plaines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,300/mo | 1.1% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $304,100 | 0.1% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $86,552 | 17.2% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 104.0 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 86.2 | 86.0 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 99.9 | 99.4 | 0.5% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.6 | 100.1 | 0.5% lower 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 $99,739 in Des Plaines to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chicago and Des Plaines have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $79,791 in Des Plaines to keep the same standard of living.