Chicago vs Columbus
The short version
- Columbus is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 8% lower than in the Chicago area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $252,900 in Columbus and $334,100 in Chicago.
- Households earn more in Chicago ($77,902 vs $66,082 median).
- Columbus has the warmer winter: January highs of 37°F vs 33°F.
- Chicago gets far more snow: 39 inches a year vs 28.
- Columbus is growing faster: +3.6% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Columbus (22 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Chicago, IL | Columbus, OH | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 2,731,585 | 938,396 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.6% | +3.6% |
| People per square mile | 11,994 | 4,236 |
| Median age | 35.8 | 33.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $77,902 | $66,082 |
| Median home value | $334,100 | $252,900 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,440 | $1,295 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.6 | 95.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.0 | 87.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,700 | $71,600 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 4.95% | 2.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.98% | 7.29% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 33.1 | 21.5 |
| Work from home | 21% | 18% |
| Take public transit | 18% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 16.8% | 18.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 33° / 19° | 37° / 22° |
| July high / low | 85° / 68° | 85° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 34 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 39 in | 28 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 20 | 21 |
| Nights below freezing | 106 | 103 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 98.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 30% | 40% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.2% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +46.1% |
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: Chicago: May to October. Columbus: April to June and August to October.
Full monthly tables: Chicago weather by month and Columbus weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,700 in Chicago and $71,600 in Columbus. Moving from Chicago to Columbus, you would need about $69,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Chicago and Columbus
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Chicago and Columbus.
Which would you pick?
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