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 | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,362/mo | 3.5% lower in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $304,700 | 0.1% lower in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $74,040 | 3.2% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 95.4 | 1.9% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 92.0 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 85.5 | 15.4% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 89.6 | 8.7% 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 $97,596 in Manchester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Manchester, NH is about 2.4% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 4% lower in Chicago than in Manchester. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $78,077 in Manchester to keep the same standard of living.