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 | Hartford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,154/mo | 13.9% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $198,900 | 53.1% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $41,841 | 71.3% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 93.2 | 4.3% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 89.2 | 3.5% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 81.6 | 20.8% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 84.2 | 15.7% 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 $88,630 in Hartford to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Hartford, CT is about 11.4% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% lower in Hartford than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $70,904 in Hartford to keep the same standard of living.