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Chicago vs Naples

Chicago, IL  ·  Naples, FL

TL;DR

Chicago cost-of-living index is 114 vs 136 for Naples (US = 100). Median home: $315,000 vs $560,000. Median rent: $2,288/mo vs $2,200/mo.

Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI · Census ACS, 2026-04-19

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Chicago is 19% cheaper than Naples overall.

Written by Jere Salmisto, Founder & Quantitative Systems Builder, CalcFi·Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial·Last reviewed 2026-04-19

Home Price

Chicago: $315,000

Naples: $560,000

Monthly Rent

Chicago: $2,288/mo

Naples: $2,200/mo

COL Index

Chicago: 114

Naples: 136

Median Income

Chicago: $70,100

Naples: $82,000

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric
Chicago
Naples
Winner
🏠

Median Home Price

$315,000
$560,000
Chicago
🏢

Monthly Rent (Median)

$2,288/mo
$2,200/mo
Naples
💰

Median Household Income

$70,100
$82,000
Naples
📋

Property Tax Rate

2.1%
0.91%
Naples
📊

Cost of Living Index

100 = national average

114
136
Chicago
🚗

Avg. Commute

31 min
24 min
Naples
📈

Unemployment Rate

4.6%
2.6%
Naples
👥

Median Age

36.7 yrs
51.4 yrs
Naples

What This Means For You

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Buying Power

A $100,000 salary in Chicago has the same purchasing power as $119,298 in Naples — based on each city's cost of living index.

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Housing

Homes in Naples are 78% cheaper (-$245,000 less). That's a significant down payment and monthly payment difference.

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Renting

Renting in Naples saves you $88/month — $1,056 per year. Median rent: $2,288/mo in Chicago vs $2,200/mo in Naples.

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Property Taxes

On a median-priced home, Chicago owners pay roughly $6,615/year in property taxes vs $5,096/year in Naples. That's a $1,519 annual difference.

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Local Earnings

Median household income is $70,100 in Chicago and $82,000 in Naples. Chicago residents earn 17% more — but remember to factor in cost of living.

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Daily Commute

Average commute is 31 minutes in Chicago vs 24 minutes in Naples. Over a year, that's 3500 extra minutes (58 hours) of commuting in Chicago.

Salary Equivalence

To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Chicago to Naples, here's the salary you'd need:

Salary in ChicagoEquivalent in NaplesDifference
$50,000$59,649+$9,649
$75,000$89,474+$14,474
$100,000$119,298+$19,298
$150,000$178,947+$28,947
$200,000$238,596+$38,596

* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.

Run the Numbers

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Mortgage Calculator

See monthly payments for homes in either city

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Rent vs Buy

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in these markets?

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Cost of Living

Full cost of living comparison tool

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Home Appreciation

Project future home value growth

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Affordability Calculator

How much home can you afford?

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Property Tax Calculator

Estimate taxes in Chicago or Naples

Chicago Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Chicago→ Rent vs buy in Chicago

Naples Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Naples→ Rent vs buy in Naples

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Chicago vs Naples: Common Questions

Is Chicago or Naples cheaper to live in?

Based on cost of living indices, Chicago is cheaper overall. Chicago has a COL index of 114 while Naples scores 136 (national average = 100).

How do home prices compare between Chicago and Naples?

The median home price in Chicago is $315,000 vs $560,000 in Naples — a difference of $245,000 (78%).

What salary do I need in Naples to match my Chicago income?

Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Chicago is equivalent to $119,298 in Naples in terms of purchasing power.

Which city has lower property taxes?

Naples has a lower property tax rate (0.91% vs 2.1%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $5,096/year vs $6,615/year.

How does rent compare in Chicago vs Naples?

Median monthly rent: $2,288 in Chicago vs $2,200 in Naples. Annualized: $27,456 vs $26,400.

What is the median household income in each city?

Chicago: $70,100/yr. Naples: $82,000/yr (Census ACS).

Which city is better for remote workers?

Lower-cost Chicago typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.

Where does the data on this comparison come from?

Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.

How often is this comparison updated?

Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.

Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?

No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.

Sources & Citations

  1. Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
  2. U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
  3. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
  4. Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
  6. Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions

City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].

The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.

Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.

Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.

Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.

Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.

Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed 2026-04-19.