Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Illinois
Chicago is the large transit and job-market metro in Illinois, promoted in source-ready batch 01 for comparisons around housing, wages, transit, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Illinois
Elgin is a supplemental starter city profile for the Chicago-area commuter and family market in Illinois, useful for route coverage and starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Comparison
Elgin has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Chicago has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Elgin minus Chicago.
| Metric | Chicago | Elgin | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,740 | $1,822 | +$82 | Chicago | Chicago has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $383,500 | $333,920 | -$49,580 | Elgin | Elgin has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $179/mo | $190/mo | +$11/mo | Chicago | Chicago has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 100 | 103 | +3 | Chicago | Chicago has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $78,660 | $68,138 | -$10,522 | Elgin | Elgin has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 78/100 | 77/100 | -1 | Chicago | Chicago has the higher move score. |