Asheville vs Chicago
The short version
- Asheville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Chicago area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $334,100 in Chicago and $440,000 in Asheville.
- Households earn more in Chicago ($77,902 vs $71,102 median).
- Asheville has the warmer winter: January highs of 48°F vs 33°F.
- Chicago gets far more snow: 39 inches a year vs 12.
- Commutes are shorter in Asheville (18 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Asheville, NC | Chicago, IL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 93,523 | 2,731,585 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.3% | -0.6% |
| People per square mile | 2,056 | 11,994 |
| Median age | 40.7 | 35.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 53% | 44% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $71,102 | $77,902 |
| Median home value | $440,000 | $334,100 |
| Home value to income | 6.2× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,402 | $1,440 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.5 | 103.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 93.4 | 112.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,400 | $77,700 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 46% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 4.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 8.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.2 | 33.1 |
| Work from home | 20% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 18% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 8% |
| Poverty rate | 14.3% | 16.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 29° | 33° / 19° |
| July high / low | 86° / 65° | 85° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 41 in | 34 in |
| Snowfall per year | 12 in | 39 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 20 |
| Nights below freezing | 77 | 106 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.3 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 30% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.4% | +6.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.3% | +45.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Asheville: April to October. Chicago: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Asheville weather by month and Chicago weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $72,400 in Asheville and $77,700 in Chicago. Moving from Asheville to Chicago, you would need about $80,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Asheville and Chicago
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Asheville and Chicago.
Which would you pick?
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