City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 225 miles (375 km) from La Crosse, WI in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 275 miles, or about 4 h 45 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 La Crosse, WI takes about 27 min, covering roughly 225 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 52,043 in La Crosse — about 52.3× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for La Crosse.
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 | La Crosse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $941/mo | 39.6% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $183,300 | 66.1% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $51,836 | 38.3% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 94.0 | 13.1% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 89.7 | 6.4% higher in La Crosse |
| 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 $81,408 in La Crosse to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
La Crosse, WI is about 18.6% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 59% higher in Chicago than in La Crosse. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $65,127 in La Crosse to keep the same standard of living.