cost
Cost of Living Index
Boston
51.1
city
Chicago
61.8
city
Comparison
Side-by-side data for relocation, travel, hiring, and investment decisions. Values are shown with source-backed metric definitions so trade-offs are easy to compare.
Bars show source values for selected metrics.
Winner
Chicago wins on 16 of 26 metrics compared to Boston.
cost
Boston
51.1
city
Chicago
61.8
city
safety
Boston
57.9
city
Chicago
62.6
city
housing
Boston
$2,908
city
Chicago
$3,201
city
jobs
Boston
$4,972/mo
city
Chicago
$6,975/mo
city
health
Boston
54.4
city
Chicago
57.3
city
environment
Boston
29.3 ug/m3
city
Chicago
27.3 ug/m3
city
infrastructure
Boston
127 Mbps
city
Chicago
196 Mbps
city
demographics
Boston
3.0%
city
Chicago
0.6%
city
economy
Boston
7.0%
city
Chicago
9.3%
city
economy
Boston
$5,756/mo
city
Chicago
$5,053/mo
city
education
Boston
73.7
city
Chicago
69.5
city
environment
Boston
25.2 ug/m3
city
Chicago
22.2 ug/m3
city
environment
Boston
59.6
city
Chicago
68
city
health
Boston
72.2 years
city
Chicago
75.7 years
city
health
Boston
17.1%
city
Chicago
20.6%
city
housing
Boston
$2,208/mo
city
Chicago
$2,035/mo
city
housing
Boston
$12,878/sqm
city
Chicago
$10,018/sqm
city
housing
Boston
15.8x
city
Chicago
12.9x
city
jobs
Boston
5.1%
city
Chicago
4.1%
city
quality
Boston
5.3
city
Chicago
6.2
city
religion
Boston
60.3%
city
Chicago
50.4%
city
religion
Boston
43.7%
city
Chicago
52.6%
city
religion
Boston
59.6%
city
Chicago
39.8%
city
safety
Boston
25.7 per 100k
city
Chicago
17.8 per 100k
city
safety
Boston
63.3 per 100k
city
Chicago
59.8 per 100k
city
transport
Boston
53
city
Chicago
47.9
city