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 | Rapid City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $975/mo | 34.8% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $244,500 | 24.5% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $62,784 | 14.2% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 95.7 | 8.9% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 86.2 | 82.9 | 4.0% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 99.9 | 93.4 | 7.0% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.6 | 94.0 | 5.9% 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 $81,833 in Rapid City to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rapid City, SD is about 18.2% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 33% lower in Rapid City than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $65,466 in Rapid City to keep the same standard of living.