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 | Port Arthur | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $938/mo | 40.1% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $91,500 | 232.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $45,357 | 58.0% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 95.2 | 9.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 86.2 | 86.6 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 99.9 | 97.5 | 2.5% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.6 | 95.8 | 3.9% 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 $82,297 in Port Arthur to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Port Arthur, TX is about 17.7% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 34% lower in Port Arthur than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $65,838 in Port Arthur to keep the same standard of living.