Median rent is 17% lower in Bloomington ($1,200/mo vs $1,440/mo). Buying is cheaper in Bloomington, where the median home runs $321,400 versus $334,100. Households earn more in Chicago ($77,902 vs $50,465 a year).
City A
Bloomington, IN
City B
Chicago, IL
How much would you need to earn in Chicago, IL to maintain your standard of living from Bloomington, IN?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Bloomington
Indiana
Chicago
Illinois
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rent is modestly lower in Bloomington at $1,200/mo compared to $1,440/mo in Chicago (17% gap). Median home values are within 4% of each other: $321,400 in Bloomington and $334,100 in Chicago.
Metric
Bloomington
Chicago
Software Developer
Registered Nurse
Elementary Teacher
Electrician
Accountant
Higher wage highlighted · BLS OEWS 2023 (metro-level data)
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Bloomington
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Chicago
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Air quality data is available for Chicago (avg AQI 31.0) but not yet for Bloomington.
Pick Chicago if you prioritize higher median household income ($77,902/yr).
Pick Bloomington if you prioritize cheaper rent ($1,200/mo median).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,200/mo in Bloomington, IN and $1,440/mo in Chicago, IL. Bloomington, IN has the lower rent by about 17%.
Median household income is $50,465 in Bloomington, IN and $77,902 in Chicago, IL. Chicago, IL has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Air quality data is not yet available for one or both cities.
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: June 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
