At a glance
Chicago is 5.0% more expensive than Houston on BEA’s overall price index, and median rents are equal at the reported precision.
Price parity is 103.6 in Chicago and 98.6 in Houston (U.S. = 100); median gross rent is $1,430 and $1,430 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. Houston
Using 2024 BEA regional price parities, Chicago has an all-items metro price level about 5.0% higher than Houston relative to the same national benchmark. This is a ratio of broad price indexes, not a forecast of what a specific household would spend. The metro-wide ACS median gross rents are equal at the reported precision. The two measures point in the same direction for these metros, but they cover different baskets and populations.
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| Official metro indicator | Chicago | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| BEA 2024 all-items price parity | 103.6 | 98.6 |
| ACS 2020–2024 median gross rent / month | $1,430 | $1,430 |
| ACS gross-rent margin of error | ± $6 | ± $6 |
| ACS median household income (± MOE) | $90,887 ± $454 | $82,168 ± $590 |
| ACS 45+ minute commute share | 23.5% | 22.0% |
These figures cover the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 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 Houston
BEA’s 2024 all-items parity is 103.6 for Chicago and 98.6 for Houston, so matching on that index takes about 4.8% less gross pay in Houston than in Chicago. Twelve months of median gross rent is 18.9% of median household income in Chicago and 20.9% in Houston (renter rent over all-household income, so a rough contrast rather than a budget).
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| Gross pay in Chicago | Same index value in Houston | Gross pay in Houston | Same index value in Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $47,603 | $50,000 | $52,518 |
| $75,000 | $71,405 | $75,000 | $78,776 |
| $100,000 | $95,206 | $100,000 | $105,035 |
| $150,000 | $142,809 | $150,000 | $157,553 |
| $200,000 | $190,413 | $200,000 | $210,070 |
Equal index value is not equal take-home pay: taxes, benefits and housing choices differ.
Median gross rents differ by $0 a month ($0 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 Houston?
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.
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| BLS occupation | Chicago median | Houston median | Chicago adjusted | Houston adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $109,390 | $119,600 | $105,594 | $121,263 |
| Retail Salespersons | $35,820 | $31,340 | $34,577 | $31,776 |
| Registered Nurses | $100,490 | $99,830 | $97,003 | $101,218 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $47,100 | $40,380 | $45,466 | $40,941 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $40,550 | $38,000 | $39,143 | $38,528 |
| Office Clerks, General | $46,330 | $40,370 | $44,722 | $40,931 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $62,300 | $56,840 | $60,138 | $57,630 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $50,440 | $46,750 | $48,690 | $47,400 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $58,020 | $46,710 | $56,007 | $47,359 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,390 | $64,500 | $75,670 | $65,397 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,360 | $85,090 | $79,502 | $86,273 |
| Construction Laborers | $60,890 | $41,350 | $58,777 | $41,925 |
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 38 and Houston in 42. For the typical occupation (the median of the occupation-by-occupation differences), the adjusted median in Chicago is 0.9% lower than in Houston.
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.
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| BLS occupation | Chicago adjusted | Houston adjusted | Higher in | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | $99,522 | $51,749 | Chicago | 92.3% |
| Electricians | $98,798 | $60,003 | Chicago | 64.7% |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $99,792 | $62,152 | Chicago | 60.6% |
| Carpenters | $77,649 | $50,360 | Chicago | 54.2% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $95,535 | $66,451 | Chicago | 43.8% |
| Construction Laborers | $58,777 | $41,925 | Chicago | 40.2% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $107,399 | $77,077 | Chicago | 39.3% |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $104,069 | $75,607 | Chicago | 37.6% |
Difference is the gap relative to the lower of the two adjusted medians.
Which jobs are more common in Chicago or Houston
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 74 occupations with at least 1,000 estimated workers in both metros, these are the most over-represented in each.
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| BLS occupation | Chicago per 10,000 | Houston per 10,000 | More common in | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Analysts | 98.2 | 29.8 | Chicago | 3.3× |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 35.5 | 13.5 | Chicago | 2.6× |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | 40.8 | 16.7 | Chicago | 2.5× |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | 2.7 | 13.6 | Houston | 5.0× |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 35.1 | 81.0 | Houston | 2.3× |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | 20.8 | 46.2 | Houston | 2.2× |
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 Houston: 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.