City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 750 miles (1,200 km) from Mobile, AL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 950 miles, or about 16 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 Mobile, AL takes about 1 h 33 min, covering roughly 750 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 186,316 in Mobile — about 14.6× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 150 sq mi for Mobile.
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 | Mobile | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $985/mo | 33.4% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $158,400 | 92.2% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $48,524 | 47.7% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 96.6 | 10.1% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 85.1 | 0.9% higher in Mobile |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 97.0 | 3.4% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 96.5 | 3.8% 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 $77,399 in Mobile to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Mobile, AL is about 22.6% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 80% higher in Chicago than in Mobile. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $61,919 in Mobile to keep the same standard of living.