At a glance
Washington is 5.1% more expensive than Chicago on BEA’s overall price index, and median rent is $597 a month higher in Washington.
Price parity is 103.6 in Chicago and 108.9 in Washington (U.S. = 100); median gross rent is $1,430 and $2,027 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. Washington
Using 2024 BEA regional price parities, Washington has an all-items metro price level about 5.1% 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. Washington has a $597 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 | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| BEA 2024 all-items price parity | 103.6 | 108.9 |
| ACS 2020–2024 median gross rent / month | $1,430 | $2,027 |
| ACS gross-rent margin of error | ± $6 | ± $11 |
| ACS median household income (± MOE) | $90,887 ± $454 | $126,684 ± $733 |
| ACS 45+ minute commute share | 23.5% | 26.7% |
These figures cover the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 Washington
BEA’s 2024 all-items parity is 103.6 for Chicago and 108.9 for Washington, so matching on that index takes about 5.1% more gross pay in Washington than in Chicago. Twelve months of median gross rent is 18.9% of median household income in Chicago and 19.2% in Washington (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 Washington | Gross pay in Washington | Same index value in Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $52,553 | $50,000 | $47,571 |
| $75,000 | $78,829 | $75,000 | $71,357 |
| $100,000 | $105,105 | $100,000 | $95,143 |
| $150,000 | $157,658 | $150,000 | $142,714 |
| $200,000 | $210,211 | $200,000 | $190,285 |
Equal index value is not equal take-home pay: taxes, benefits and housing choices differ.
Median gross rents differ by $597 a month ($7,164 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 Washington?
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 | Washington median | Chicago adjusted | Washington adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $109,390 | $156,460 | $105,594 | $143,694 |
| Retail Salespersons | $35,820 | $36,610 | $34,577 | $33,623 |
| Registered Nurses | $100,490 | $102,710 | $97,003 | $94,330 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,360 | $102,140 | $79,502 | $93,806 |
| Software Developers | $134,380 | $154,930 | $129,717 | $142,289 |
| Office Clerks, General | $46,330 | $51,880 | $44,722 | $47,647 |
| Management Analysts | $105,090 | $126,830 | $101,443 | $116,482 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $50,440 | $53,660 | $48,690 | $49,282 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $47,100 | $46,220 | $45,466 | $42,449 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,390 | $79,470 | $75,670 | $72,986 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $40,550 | $42,590 | $39,143 | $39,115 |
| Lawyers | $165,660 | $195,190 | $159,911 | $179,264 |
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, 4 have a different leading metro for nominal versus price-adjusted median wages, and 8 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 28 and Washington in 52. For the typical occupation (the median of the occupation-by-occupation differences), the adjusted median in Chicago is 5.4% lower than in Washington.
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 | Washington adjusted | Higher in | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | $99,522 | $56,629 | Chicago | 75.7% |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $99,792 | $65,997 | Chicago | 51.2% |
| Electricians | $98,798 | $69,735 | Chicago | 41.7% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $107,399 | $76,724 | Chicago | 40.0% |
| Carpenters | $77,649 | $55,839 | Chicago | 39.1% |
| General and Operations Managers | $105,594 | $143,694 | Washington | 36.1% |
| Writers and Authors | $73,305 | $99,611 | Washington | 35.9% |
| Construction Laborers | $58,777 | $43,560 | Chicago | 34.9% |
Difference is the gap relative to the lower of the two adjusted medians.
Which jobs are more common in Chicago or Washington
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 | Washington per 10,000 | More common in | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Engineers | 33.4 | 8.0 | Chicago | 4.2× |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 413.6 | 114.3 | Chicago | 3.6× |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 100.8 | 31.0 | Chicago | 3.2× |
| Information Security Analysts | 9.1 | 66.4 | Washington | 7.3× |
| Public Relations Specialists | 12.9 | 91.4 | Washington | 7.1× |
| Project Management Specialists | 55.1 | 153.3 | Washington | 2.8× |
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 Washington: 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.