City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 90 miles (150 km) from Milwaukee, WI in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 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 Milwaukee, WI takes about 10 min, covering roughly 90 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 573,299 in Milwaukee — about 4.7× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 96 sq mi for Milwaukee.
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 | Milwaukee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $982/mo | 33.8% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $157,800 | 93.0% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $49,733 | 44.1% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 94.0 | 13.1% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 91.6 | 8.6% higher in Milwaukee |
| 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 $91,896 in Milwaukee to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Milwaukee, WI is about 8.1% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 17% higher in Chicago than in Milwaukee. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $73,516 in Milwaukee to keep the same standard of living.