Detroit vs Chicago
The short version
- Detroit is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Chicago area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $83,900 in Detroit and $334,100 in Chicago.
- Households earn more in Chicago ($77,902 vs $39,938 median).
- Detroit is growing faster: +1.5% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Detroit (25 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Detroit, MI | Chicago, IL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 649,095 | 2,731,585 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.5% | -0.6% |
| People per square mile | 4,679 | 11,994 |
| Median age | 35.2 | 35.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18% | 44% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $39,938 | $77,902 |
| Median home value | $83,900 | $334,100 |
| Home value to income | 2.1× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,074 | $1,440 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.3 | 103.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 94.7 | 112.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,200 | $77,700 |
| Homeowners | 50% | 46% |
| Top state income tax | 4.25% | 4.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 6% | 8.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.8 | 33.1 |
| Work from home | 12% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 18% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 14% | 8% |
| Poverty rate | 32.7% | 16.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 32° / 19° | 33° / 19° |
| July high / low | 84° / 64° | 85° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 34 in | 34 in |
| Snowfall per year | 45 in | 39 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 13 | 20 |
| Nights below freezing | 120 | 106 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.0 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 36% | 30% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.2% | +6.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43.9% | +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: Detroit: May to October. Chicago: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Detroit 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 $75,200 in Detroit and $77,700 in Chicago. Moving from Detroit to Chicago, you would need about $77,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Detroit 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 Detroit and Chicago.
Which would you pick?
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