Chicago vs Providence
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $334,100 in Chicago and $362,200 in Providence.
- Households earn more in Chicago ($77,902 vs $68,119 median).
- Providence has the warmer winter: January highs of 38°F vs 33°F.
- Providence is growing faster: +2.3% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Providence (25 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Chicago, IL | Providence, RI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 2,731,585 | 195,310 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.6% | +2.3% |
| People per square mile | 11,994 | 10,611 |
| Median age | 35.8 | 32.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $77,902 | $68,119 |
| Median home value | $334,100 | $362,200 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 5.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,440 | $1,408 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.6 | 101.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.0 | 103.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,700 | $76,300 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 41% |
| Top state income tax | 4.95% | 5.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.98% | 7% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 33.1 | 25.0 |
| Work from home | 21% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 18% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8% | 8.2% |
| Poverty rate | 16.8% | 20.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 33° / 19° | 38° / 22° |
| July high / low | 85° / 68° | 84° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 34 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 39 in | 37 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 20 | 12 |
| Nights below freezing | 106 | 109 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 93.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 30% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.2% | +4.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +51.9% |
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. Providence: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Chicago weather by month and Providence 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 $76,300 in Providence. Moving from Chicago to Providence, you would need about $73,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Chicago and Providence
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 Providence.
Which would you pick?
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