Chicago vs Ithaca
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $334,100 in Chicago and $342,700 in Ithaca.
- Households earn more in Chicago ($77,902 vs $48,784 median).
- Ithaca gets far more snow: 63 inches a year vs 39.
- Ithaca is growing faster: +4.8% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Ithaca (19 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Chicago, IL | Ithaca, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 2,731,585 | 33,632 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.6% | +4.8% |
| People per square mile | 11,994 | 6,241 |
| Median age | 35.8 | 23.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44% | 68% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $77,902 | $48,784 |
| Median home value | $334,100 | $342,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 7.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,440 | $1,447 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.6 | 103.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.0 | 128.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,700 | $77,500 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 30% |
| Top state income tax | 4.95% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.98% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 33.1 | 18.7 |
| Work from home | 21% | 25% |
| Take public transit | 18% | 9% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8% | 7.3% |
| Poverty rate | 16.8% | 30.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 33° / 19° | 31° / 15° |
| July high / low | 85° / 68° | 80° / 58° |
| Precipitation per year | 34 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 39 in | 63 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 20 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 106 | 148 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 73.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 30% | 93% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.2% | -5.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +41.6% |
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. Ithaca: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Chicago weather by month and Ithaca 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 $77,500 in Ithaca. Moving from Chicago to Ithaca, you would need about $74,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Chicago and Ithaca
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 Ithaca.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.