• Annual high temp 58.8°F sun icon
  • Annual low temp 45.1°F cloud icon
  • Annual rainfall 36.9 in. rain icon
  • Annual snowfall 36.7 in. snowflake icon

59

This livability score analyzes dozens of data points across seven key categories: amenities, cost of living, crime, employment, housing, schools, and user ratings. Learn More.

59

Living in Chicago, IL

Known as "The Windy City" to locals, people love living in Chicago for its world-class architecture and seemingly endless array of art and entertainment options. If you're thinking about moving to Chicago, Illinois, read on to learn more about what it's like to live in the area.

  • Population icon

    Population

    2,680,484

  • Avg Home Price icon

    Avg Home Price

    $518,082

  • Avg Rent Price icon

    Avg Rent Price

    $2,154

  • Avg Salary icon

    Avg Salary

    $50,755

  • Cost of Living icon

    Cost of Living

    21.0% Nat. Avg.

  • Avg Commute Time icon

    Avg Commute Time

    32 min

  • Hospital Rankings icon

    Hospital Rankings

    54th in US

  • State Income Tax icon

    State Income Tax

    4.95%

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Culture & Entertainment

Looking for fun things to do in Chicago? Explore the area’s top attractions and local hangouts to discover everything Chicago has to offer.

  • Hiking Trails icon

    Hiking Trails

    47

  • Breweries icon

    Breweries

    74

  • Museums icon

    Museums

    211

  • City Parks icon

    City Parks

    1232

  • Amusement Parks icon

    Amusement Parks

    3

  • Music Venues icon

    Music Venues

    110

  • Zoos icon

    Zoos

    2

  • Libraries icon

    Libraries

    92

Chicago at a glance

  • Top industries in Chicago include transportation, education, and health care.
  • Pro sports teams in Chicago include the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Cubs, and the Chicago Bulls.
  • You can walk underground with The Pedway five miles of tunnels and bridges to make walking bearable in the winter.
  • City food staples include deep-dish pizza and a Chicago-style hot dog.

MYMOVE cost of living calculator

MYMOVE helps you compare the cost of living in two cities.

How do I compare cities to find the best places to live?

The first step to figuring out where to live is research. Whether you have your heart set on moving to a particular place or are just curious about different cities, getting insider knowledge on a new area can help you determine if you could see yourself thriving there.

Using MYMOVE’s city guides, you can learn much-needed information about a prospective area. Basic facts like the cost of living and top industries show you what it’s like to live and work in the city. More in-depth information like the number of parks, music venues, and breweries paint a picture of the fun you could have there.

So, how do these city guides work?

We’ve compiled a varied list of data sources all in one place. Simply search for a specific city above, or explore the top metro areas in each state (and Puerto Rico). View our city guides to learn the basics, like population, weather, and housing prices, and the fun stuff, like culture and entertainment options.

How do I decide where to live?

Lots of factors go into choosing the location of your next life chapter. Does your company have an office in a city that excites you? Does the industry you work in have a presence in that metro area?

Do you want to own a car, or is walkability high on your priority list? Are you a museum buff, an avid hiker, or a music lover?

Sit down and make a checklist of your city must-haves. Then, create a list of general areas that pique your interest. Search for MYMOVE’s guides for those cities, and use those city guides as a starting point to decide where to live next.

Where does the data for our city guides come from?

We sourced our core cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research’s Cost of Living Index (COLI). The COLI is updated quarterly, using data collected at the local level for over 60 goods and services. Learn more about COLI research methodology.

Population data is sourced from the U.S. Census. The average salaries and housing prices were compiled from TownCharts.

We sourced weather data from various resources, including but not limited to the National Centers for Environmental Information and The Weather Channel.

Data for each city’s average commute time was pulled from the U.S. Census, Data USA, and MarketWatch.

We compiled hospital data from Healthgrades, and sales tax data was sourced from the Tax Foundation.

Various sources were used to collect culture and entertainment data, including but not limited to The Trust for Public Land, Wikipedia, USA Zoos, ultimaterollercoaster.com, Indie on the Move, and publiclibraries.com.

Livability score provided by Areavibes. The Livability Score is a score out of 100 that was designed to help evaluate the quality of an area. The score analyzes dozens of data points across seven key categories: amenities, cost of living, crime, employment, housing, schools, and user ratings.