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 | Reading | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $942/mo | 39.5% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $96,900 | 214.2% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $42,852 | 67.3% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 91.0 | 6.8% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 86.4 | 6.9% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 77.7 | 27.0% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 78.7 | 23.8% 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 $79,483 in Reading to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Reading, PA is about 20.5% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 28% lower in Reading than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $63,586 in Reading to keep the same standard of living.