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 | Paterson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,392/mo | 5.6% lower in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $314,100 | 3.1% lower in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $52,092 | 37.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 95.7 | 1.6% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 92.4 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 86.0 | 14.6% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 90.4 | 7.7% 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 $98,888 in Paterson to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Paterson, NJ is about 1.1% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% lower in Chicago than in Paterson. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $79,110 in Paterson to keep the same standard of living.