City pride runs deep in both Chicago and New York City, as does the comparative cost of living. Think
- Lake Michigan vs. NYC’s waterways
- NYC’s subway system vs. The “L”
- Chicago-style street dogs vs. NYC’s corner hot dogs.
Erika Riley with StreetEasy did some research on the cost of living in Chicago and New York City to determine which city was cheaper. Here are some of Riley’s findings:
Median Rent for One-Bedroom Apartment (according to Data from Zillow and StreetEasy)
– NYC – $2,850/month
– Chicago – $1,708/month
Median Sale Price for Home (according to Data from Zillow and StreetEasy)
- NYC – $705,407
- Chicago – $289,000
Cost of Public Transportation
– NYC – $127/month or $2.75/ride
– Chicago – $105/month or $2.50 ride
– According to the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index (H&T Index), New Yorkers spend 9% of income on transportation and Chicagoans spend 16% of income on transportation.)
– New York commuters
– Long Island Railroad – $300-$500/month for unlimited pass
- Metro North (CT, no suburbs) – $60-$500/month depending on line and distance
- PATH – Eastern NJ – $89/month and $2.75/ride
- Chicago commuters
- Metra – $116-$319/month depending on distance
Average Salary and Income
- NYC – $57,782 according to US Census Bureau
- Chicago – $52,497 according to US Census Bureau
- NYC – $69,981 according to Payscale
- Chicago – $63,168 according to Payscale
Average Commute Time
- NYC 34.7 minutes
- Chicago – 30.8 minutes
Quality of Life Index – purchasing power, safety, health care, cost of living, price-to-income ratio, commute time, traffic, pollution, climate
- NYC – 141.35
- Chicago – 158.23
