City comparison
Evanston, IL is about 325 miles (550 km) from St. Paul, MN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 425 miles, or about 7 h 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 Evanston, IL to St. Paul, MN takes about 40 min, covering roughly 325 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.
St. Paul has a population of 308,806, vs 77,181 in Evanston — about 4.0× larger by population. By land area, St. Paul covers about 52 sq mi vs 7.8 sq mi for Evanston.
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 | Evanston | St. Paul | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,625/mo | $1,174/mo | 38.4% higher in Evanston |
| Median home value | $454,600 | $264,900 | 71.6% higher in Evanston |
| Median household income | $93,188 | $69,919 | 33.3% higher in Evanston |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 102.5 | 3.7% higher in Evanston |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 93.3 | 10.7% higher in St. Paul |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 103.7 | 3.6% higher in St. Paul |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 103.9 | 3.6% 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 Evanston, you'd need $99,896 in St. Paul to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Evanston and St. Paul have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 3% higher in Evanston than in St. Paul. If you earn $80,000 in Evanston, you'd need about $79,917 in St. Paul to keep the same standard of living.