City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 550 miles (900 km) from Roswell, GA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 700 miles, or about 12 hours 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 Roswell, GA takes about 1 h 8 min, covering roughly 550 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 92,770 in Roswell — about 29.3× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 41 sq mi for Roswell.
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 | Roswell | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,619/mo | 23.2% higher in Roswell |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $479,400 | 57.4% higher in Roswell |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $122,924 | 71.5% higher in Roswell |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 100.3 | 6.1% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 96.1 | 13.9% higher in Roswell |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 97.0 | 3.4% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 96.5 | 3.8% higher in Chicago |
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 $99,502 in Roswell to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Roswell, GA is about 0.5% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $79,602 in Roswell to keep the same standard of living.