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 | Great Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $828/mo | 58.7% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $223,700 | 36.1% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $58,272 | 23.0% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 98.4 | 5.9% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 86.2 | 88.7 | 2.8% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 99.9 | 100.5 | 0.6% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.6 | 100.3 | 0.8% 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 $90,496 in Great Falls to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Great Falls, MT is about 9.5% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 20% lower in Great Falls than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $72,397 in Great Falls to keep the same standard of living.