Chicago vs. Washington
Chicago, IL · Washington, DC
Chicago is 35% cheaper than Washington overall.
Looking for the national Mortgage Payment Calculator? Mortgage Payment Calculator.
Home Price
IL: $315,000
DC: $575,000
Monthly Rent
IL: $2,288/mo
DC: $2,195/mo
COL Index
IL: 114
DC: 154
Median Income
IL: $70,100
DC: $98,700
Side-by-Side Comparison
Median Home Price
Monthly Rent (Median)
Median Household Income
Property Tax Rate
Cost of Living Index
100 = national average
Avg. Commute
Unemployment Rate
Median Age
What This Means For You
Headline insight
Buying Power
A $100,000 salary in Chicago has the same purchasing power as $135,088 in Washington— based on each city's cost of living index.
Housing
Homes in Washington are 83% cheaper (-$260,000 less). That's a meaningful down-payment and monthly-payment difference.
Renting
Renting in Washington saves $93/month — $1,116 per year. Median rent: $2,288/mo in Chicago vs $2,195/mo in Washington.
Property Taxes
On a median-priced home, Chicago owners pay roughly $6,615/year vs $3,278/year in Washington. That's a $3,338 annual difference.
Local Earnings
Median household income is $70,100 in Chicago and $98,700 in Washington. Chicago residents earn 41% more — but factor in cost of living.
Daily Commute
Average commute is 31 minutes in Chicago vs 34 minutes in Washington. Commute times are nearly identical.
Salary Equivalence
To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Chicago to Washington, here's the salary you'd need:
| Salary in Chicago | Equivalent in Washington | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $67,544 | +$17,544 |
| $75,000 | $101,316 | +$26,316 |
| $100,000 | $135,088 | +$35,088 |
| $150,000 | $202,632 | +$52,632 |
| $200,000 | $270,175 | +$70,175 |
* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.
Run the Numbers
Mortgage Calculator
See monthly payments for homes in either city
Rent vs Buy
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in these markets?
Cost of Living
Full cost of living comparison tool
Home Appreciation
Project future home value growth
Affordability Calculator
How much home can you afford?
Property Tax Calculator
Estimate taxes in Chicago or Washington
Chicago Calculators
Washington Calculators
Related Comparisons
Chicago vs Washington: Common Questions
Is Chicago or Washington cheaper to live in?
Based on cost of living indices, Chicago is cheaper overall. Chicago has a COL index of 114 while Washington scores 154 (national average = 100).
How do home prices compare between Chicago and Washington?
The median home price in Chicago is $315,000 vs $575,000 in Washington — a difference of $260,000 (83%).
What salary do I need in Washington to match my Chicago income?
Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Chicago is equivalent to $135,088 in Washington in terms of purchasing power.
Which city has lower property taxes?
Washington has a lower property tax rate (0.57% vs 2.1%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $3,278/year vs $6,615/year.
How does rent compare in Chicago vs Washington?
Median monthly rent: $2,288 in Chicago vs $2,195 in Washington. Annualized: $27,456 vs $26,340.
What is the median household income in each city?
Chicago: $70,100/yr. Washington: $98,700/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
- Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
- Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
- 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 .