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 | Rochester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,218/mo | 7.9% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $268,800 | 13.3% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $83,973 | 14.6% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 102.9 | 5.5% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 89.4 | 3.4% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 93.0 | 6.0% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 93.8 | 3.8% 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 $95,883 in Rochester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rochester, MN is about 4.1% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 7% lower in Rochester than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $76,706 in Rochester to keep the same standard of living.