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 | Wilmington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,213/mo | 8.3% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $318,600 | 4.4% lower in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $58,908 | 21.7% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 100.2 | 3.0% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 97.5 | 5.2% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 84.9 | 16.1% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 99.8 | 2.4% lower 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 $94,831 in Wilmington to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Wilmington, NC is about 5.2% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 8% lower in Wilmington than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $75,865 in Wilmington to keep the same standard of living.