City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 375 miles (600 km) from Plymouth, MN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 450 miles, or about 7 h 30 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 Plymouth, MN takes about 44 min, covering roughly 375 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 79,918 in Plymouth — about 34.1× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 33 sq mi for Plymouth.
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 | Plymouth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,625/mo | 23.7% higher in Plymouth |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $447,600 | 47.0% higher in Plymouth |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $130,131 | 81.6% higher in Plymouth |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 102.5 | 3.8% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 93.3 | 10.6% higher in Plymouth |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 103.7 | 3.4% higher in Plymouth |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 103.9 | 3.7% higher in Plymouth |
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 $102,057 in Plymouth to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chicago, IL is about 2% cheaper overall than Plymouth, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% higher in Plymouth than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $81,646 in Plymouth to keep the same standard of living.