City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 150 miles (225 km) from Fond du Lac, WI in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 3 h 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 Fond du Lac, WI takes about 17 min, covering roughly 150 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 44,527 in Fond du Lac — about 61.1× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 19 sq mi for Fond du Lac.
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 | Fond du Lac | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $868/mo | 51.4% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $148,500 | 105.1% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $58,675 | 22.2% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 94.0 | 13.1% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 91.2 | 8.0% higher in Fond du Lac |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 99.2 | 1.1% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 99.4 | 0.8% 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 $80,547 in Fond du Lac to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Fond du Lac, WI is about 19.5% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 65% higher in Chicago than in Fond du Lac. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $64,438 in Fond du Lac to keep the same standard of living.