City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 550 miles (900 km) from Little Rock, AR in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 700 miles, or about 12 hours 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 Little Rock, AR takes about 1 h 6 min, covering roughly 550 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 202,218 in Little Rock — about 13.5× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 120 sq mi for Little Rock.
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 | Little Rock | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,006/mo | 30.6% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $205,800 | 48.0% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $58,697 | 22.1% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 94.0 | 13.1% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 76.5 | 10.4% higher in Chicago |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 95.8 | 4.8% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 95.3 | 5.2% 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 $78,930 in Little Rock to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Little Rock, AR is about 21.1% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 61% higher in Chicago than in Little Rock. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $63,144 in Little Rock to keep the same standard of living.