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CityLedger

Chicago vs Houston

Metro-area medians — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area vs Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Chicago comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Houston is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Chicago households earn about 11% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Chicago.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Chicago, IL
$57,601
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$55,602
real value after local prices
Houston, TX
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$62,166
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Houston leaves you about $6,564/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Chicago
Houston
Livability (CityLedger)
56/100
46/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
103.6
98.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$87,620
$82,549
Median household income
$90,770
$81,417
Median rent
$1,469/mo
$1,469/mo
Median home value
$339,700
$327,400
Unemployment
5.5%
5.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
43.1%
37.3%
Average commute
30.9 min
31.1 min
Air quality (median AQI)
56
63
Avg temperature
52°F
71°F

Choose Chicago for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Chicago profile →

Choose Houston for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median home value
Full Houston profile →

Chicago vs Houston — frequently asked

Is Chicago cheaper than Houston?
Houston is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Chicago's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Chicago or Houston?
Chicago has the higher median household income — $90,770 versus $81,417 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Chicago or Houston?
A paycheck stretches further in Chicago. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $87,620 there versus $82,549 in Houston.
Which has cheaper rent, Chicago or Houston?
Rents are close — $1,469/mo in the Chicago metro versus $1,469/mo in Houston (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).