Chicago vs Iowa City
The short version
- Iowa City is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Chicago area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $285,900 in Iowa City and $334,100 in Chicago.
- Households earn more in Chicago ($77,902 vs $58,546 median).
- Chicago gets far more snow: 39 inches a year vs 28.
- Iowa City is growing faster: +1.9% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Iowa City (17 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Chicago, IL | Iowa City, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 2,731,585 | 76,229 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.6% | +1.9% |
| People per square mile | 11,994 | 2,959 |
| Median age | 35.8 | 26.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44% | 61% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $77,902 | $58,546 |
| Median home value | $334,100 | $285,900 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 4.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,440 | $1,094 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.6 | 91.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.0 | 84.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,700 | $68,600 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 4.95% | 3.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.98% | 6.94% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 33.1 | 17.3 |
| Work from home | 21% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 18% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 16.8% | 26.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 33° / 19° | 31° / 15° |
| July high / low | 85° / 68° | 86° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 34 in | 36 in |
| Snowfall per year | 39 in | 28 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 20 | 19 |
| Nights below freezing | 106 | 135 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 87.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 30% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.2% | +3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +33.9% |
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. Iowa City: May and July to October.
Full monthly tables: Chicago weather by month and Iowa City 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 $68,600 in Iowa City. Moving from Chicago to Iowa City, you would need about $66,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Chicago and Iowa City
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 Iowa City.
Which would you pick?
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