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 | Des Plaines | Meridian | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,300/mo | $1,548/mo | 16.0% lower in A |
| Median home value | $304,100 | $425,800 | 28.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $86,552 | $93,296 | 7.2% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 104.0 | 98.5 | 5.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 86.0 | 87.0 | 1.1% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 99.4 | 100.7 | 1.3% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 100.1 | 100.5 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Des Plaines, you'd need $100,087 in Meridian to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Des Plaines and Meridian have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Des Plaines, you'd need about $80,070 in Meridian to keep the same standard of living.