At a glance
Chicago is 1.0% more expensive than Philadelphia on BEA’s overall price index, but Philadelphia has the higher median rent, by $50 a month.
Price parity is 103.6 in Chicago and 102.6 in Philadelphia (U.S. = 100); median gross rent is $1,430 and $1,480 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. Philadelphia
Using 2024 BEA regional price parities, Chicago has an all-items metro price level about 1.0% higher than Philadelphia relative to the same national benchmark. This is a ratio of broad price indexes, not a forecast of what a specific household would spend. Philadelphia has a $50 higher reported monthly metro-wide median gross rent than Chicago. The metro with the higher broad price parity does not have the higher ACS rental median. That is why the index and rent should be examined separately.
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| Official metro indicator | Chicago | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| BEA 2024 all-items price parity | 103.6 | 102.6 |
| ACS 2020–2024 median gross rent / month | $1,430 | $1,480 |
| ACS gross-rent margin of error | ± $6 | ± $8 |
| ACS median household income (± MOE) | $90,887 ± $454 | $91,289 ± $666 |
| ACS 45+ minute commute share | 23.5% | 20.0% |
These figures cover the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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 Philadelphia
BEA’s 2024 all-items parity is 103.6 for Chicago and 102.6 for Philadelphia, so matching on that index takes about 1.0% less gross pay in Philadelphia than in Chicago. Twelve months of median gross rent is 18.9% of median household income in Chicago and 19.5% in Philadelphia (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 Philadelphia | Gross pay in Philadelphia | Same index value in Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,498 | $50,000 | $50,508 |
| $75,000 | $74,246 | $75,000 | $75,761 |
| $100,000 | $98,995 | $100,000 | $101,015 |
| $150,000 | $148,493 | $150,000 | $151,523 |
| $200,000 | $197,990 | $200,000 | $202,030 |
Equal index value is not equal take-home pay: taxes, benefits and housing choices differ.
Median gross rents differ by $50 a month ($600 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 Philadelphia?
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 | Philadelphia median | Chicago adjusted | Philadelphia adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | $100,490 | $101,180 | $97,003 | $98,660 |
| General and Operations Managers | $109,390 | $121,630 | $105,594 | $118,601 |
| Retail Salespersons | $35,820 | $34,810 | $34,577 | $33,943 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $40,550 | $43,460 | $39,143 | $42,378 |
| Office Clerks, General | $46,330 | $47,060 | $44,722 | $45,888 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $47,100 | $47,070 | $45,466 | $45,898 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $50,440 | $48,850 | $48,690 | $47,633 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $62,300 | $59,370 | $60,138 | $57,891 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,360 | $85,990 | $79,502 | $83,849 |
| Software Developers | $134,380 | $133,040 | $129,717 | $129,727 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $98,970 | $80,560 | $95,535 | $78,554 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,390 | $78,570 | $75,670 | $76,613 |
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, 2 have a different leading metro for nominal versus price-adjusted median wages, and 10 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 35 and Philadelphia in 45. For the typical occupation (the median of the occupation-by-occupation differences), the adjusted median in Chicago is 1.0% lower than in Philadelphia.
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 | Philadelphia adjusted | Higher in | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | $99,522 | $65,146 | Chicago | 52.8% |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $99,792 | $72,996 | Chicago | 36.7% |
| Electricians | $98,798 | $72,732 | Chicago | 35.8% |
| Carpenters | $77,649 | $60,241 | Chicago | 28.9% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $95,535 | $78,554 | Chicago | 21.6% |
| Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | $78,952 | $95,696 | Philadelphia | 21.2% |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | $84,869 | $102,229 | Philadelphia | 20.5% |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $104,069 | $87,349 | Chicago | 19.1% |
Difference is the gap relative to the lower of the two adjusted medians.
Which jobs are more common in Chicago or Philadelphia
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 | Philadelphia per 10,000 | More common in | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machinists | 29.5 | 13.3 | Chicago | 2.2× |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 413.6 | 204.7 | Chicago | 2.0× |
| Sales Managers | 66.5 | 40.9 | Chicago | 1.6× |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | 2.7 | 8.5 | Philadelphia | 3.1× |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 29.9 | 63.8 | Philadelphia | 2.1× |
| Physician Assistants | 8.0 | 13.6 | Philadelphia | 1.7× |
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 Philadelphia: 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.