At a glance
Boston is 4.5% more expensive than Chicago on BEA’s overall price index, and median rent is $593 a month higher in Boston.
Price parity is 103.6 in Chicago and 108.3 in Boston (U.S. = 100); median gross rent is $1,430 and $2,023 a month.
Price index and rent come from different surveys and describe metro averages; neither predicts a household’s own costs.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Cost of living: Chicago vs. Boston
Using 2024 BEA regional price parities, Boston has an all-items metro price level about 4.5% higher than Chicago relative to the same national benchmark. This is a ratio of broad price indexes, not a forecast of what a specific household would spend. Boston has a $593 higher reported monthly metro-wide median gross rent than Chicago. The two measures point in the same direction for these metros, but they cover different baskets and populations.
Scroll sideways to explore every column →
| Official metro indicator | Chicago | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| BEA 2024 all-items price parity | 103.6 | 108.3 |
| ACS 2020–2024 median gross rent / month | $1,430 | $2,023 |
| ACS gross-rent margin of error | ± $6 | ± $11 |
| ACS median household income (± MOE) | $90,887 ± $454 | $115,863 ± $796 |
| ACS 45+ minute commute share | 23.5% | 23.5% |
These figures cover the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan areas, not the named cities alone. ACS gross rent includes estimated utilities and is not an asking rent; sampling uncertainty means small gaps may not be meaningful.
What a salary in Chicago is worth in Boston
BEA’s 2024 all-items parity is 103.6 for Chicago and 108.3 for Boston, so matching on that index takes about 4.5% more gross pay in Boston than in Chicago. Twelve months of median gross rent is 18.9% of median household income in Chicago and 21.0% in Boston (renter rent over all-household income, so a rough contrast rather than a budget).
Scroll sideways to explore every column →
| Gross pay in Chicago | Same index value in Boston | Gross pay in Boston | Same index value in Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $52,254 | $50,000 | $47,843 |
| $75,000 | $78,382 | $75,000 | $71,764 |
| $100,000 | $104,509 | $100,000 | $95,686 |
| $150,000 | $156,763 | $150,000 | $143,528 |
| $200,000 | $209,018 | $200,000 | $191,371 |
Equal index value is not equal take-home pay: taxes, benefits and housing choices differ.
Median gross rents differ by $593 a month ($7,116 over twelve months). That gap is already part of the price index, so do not subtract it again; use real quotes in the worksheet.
How do salaries differ between Chicago and Boston?
80 of 80 curated occupations have a reported annual median wage in both metros. The 12 examples below are the most common jobs in the smaller metro, not the highest- or lowest-paid.
Scroll sideways to explore every column →
| BLS occupation | Chicago median | Boston median | Chicago adjusted | Boston adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $109,390 | $133,800 | $105,594 | $123,585 |
| Registered Nurses | $100,490 | $106,180 | $97,003 | $98,073 |
| Retail Salespersons | $35,820 | $36,850 | $34,577 | $34,037 |
| Software Developers | $134,380 | $166,090 | $129,717 | $153,409 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $47,100 | $49,920 | $45,466 | $46,109 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,360 | $100,150 | $79,502 | $92,504 |
| Office Clerks, General | $46,330 | $50,710 | $44,722 | $46,838 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $80,400 | $102,390 | $77,610 | $94,573 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $50,440 | $59,330 | $48,690 | $54,800 |
| Management Analysts | $105,090 | $135,640 | $101,443 | $125,284 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $40,550 | $45,600 | $39,143 | $42,118 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $78,210 | $90,270 | $75,496 | $83,378 |
The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
What changes after adjusting wages for regional prices?
Among the 12 displayed, matched BLS occupations, 1 have a different leading metro for nominal versus price-adjusted median wages, and 11 keep the same leader. Adjusted values divide each median by the metro’s BEA parity; they are not tax-adjusted.
Where the price-adjusted gap is largest
Across the 80 occupations with a reported median in both metros, Chicago has the higher price-adjusted median in 19 and Boston in 61. For the typical occupation (the median of the occupation-by-occupation differences), the adjusted median in Chicago is 7.0% lower than in Boston.
The table lists the eight occupations with the largest percentage differences, in either direction. A large gap can reflect a small local employer base, so check the career page before drawing conclusions.
Scroll sideways to explore every column →
| BLS occupation | Chicago adjusted | Boston adjusted | Higher in | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $104,069 | $72,211 | Chicago | 44.1% |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | $99,522 | $71,066 | Chicago | 40.0% |
| Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | $78,952 | $110,025 | Boston | 39.4% |
| Electricians | $98,798 | $73,809 | Chicago | 33.9% |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | $84,869 | $112,935 | Boston | 33.1% |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | $56,759 | $73,255 | Boston | 29.1% |
| Sales Managers | $153,183 | $190,836 | Boston | 24.6% |
| Marketing Managers | $159,602 | $197,578 | Boston | 23.8% |
Difference is the gap relative to the lower of the two adjusted medians.
Which jobs are more common in Chicago or Boston
Raw employment counts mostly track metro size. To compare, this table divides BLS estimated employment by ACS commuting workers (jobs per 10,000 commuters). Of the 75 occupations with at least 1,000 estimated workers in both metros, these are the most over-represented in each.
Scroll sideways to explore every column →
| BLS occupation | Chicago per 10,000 | Boston per 10,000 | More common in | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 413.6 | 115.4 | Chicago | 3.6× |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 24.4 | 10.6 | Chicago | 2.3× |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 162.9 | 96.5 | Chicago | 1.7× |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | 2.7 | 10.3 | Boston | 3.8× |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | 3.9 | 11.2 | Boston | 2.9× |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 14.4 | 41.6 | Boston | 2.9× |
A rough size scaling, not a formal location quotient. Employment estimates are not job openings.
Investigate a specific career before deciding
Open the dashboard with a role and both metros already selected. Amounts you enter stay in your browser.
Moving between Chicago and Boston: what should you check?
The checklist works in either direction. Get written offers and current rent quotes for the neighborhoods you would consider; metro medians are not listings. The full offer checklist covers taxes, benefits and one-time costs.