City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 350 miles (550 km) from Edina, MN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 450 miles, or about 7 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 Chicago, IL to Edina, MN takes about 43 min, covering roughly 350 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 53,037 in Edina — about 51.3× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 15 sq mi for Edina.
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 | Edina | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,700/mo | 29.4% higher in Edina |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $601,700 | 97.6% higher in Edina |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $125,506 | 75.1% higher in Edina |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 102.5 | 3.8% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 93.3 | 10.6% higher in Edina |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 103.7 | 3.4% higher in Edina |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 103.9 | 3.7% higher in Edina |
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 $102,277 in Edina to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chicago, IL is about 2.2% cheaper overall than Edina, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% higher in Edina than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $81,822 in Edina to keep the same standard of living.