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 | Greenville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,173/mo | 12.0% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $403,300 | 24.5% lower in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $65,519 | 9.4% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 97.0 | 7.4% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 86.2 | 90.6 | 4.8% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 99.9 | 99.0 | 1.0% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.6 | 97.2 | 2.4% 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 $87,344 in Greenville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Greenville, SC is about 12.7% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 26% lower in Greenville than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $69,875 in Greenville to keep the same standard of living.