City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 350 miles (550 km) from St. Paul, MN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 425 miles, or about 7 h 15 min 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 St. Paul, MN takes about 42 min, covering roughly 350 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 308,806 in St. Paul — about 8.8× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 52 sq mi for St. Paul.
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 | St. Paul | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,174/mo | 11.9% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $264,900 | 14.9% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $69,919 | 2.5% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 102.5 | 3.8% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 93.3 | 10.6% higher in St. Paul |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 103.7 | 3.4% higher in St. Paul |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 103.9 | 3.7% higher in St. Paul |
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 $100,756 in St. Paul to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chicago, IL is about 0.8% cheaper overall than St. Paul, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $80,605 in St. Paul to keep the same standard of living.