Median rent is 9% lower in Olathe ($1,314/mo vs $1,440/mo). Buying is cheaper in Chicago, where the median home runs $334,100 versus $364,700. Households earn more in Olathe ($114,009 vs $77,902 a year).
City A
Chicago, IL
City B
Olathe, KS
How much would you need to earn in Olathe, KS to maintain your standard of living from Chicago, IL?
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
Chicago
Illinois
Olathe
Kansas
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 Olathe at $1,314/mo compared to $1,440/mo in Chicago (9% gap). Median home values are within 8% of each other: $334,100 in Chicago and $364,700 in Olathe.
Metric
Chicago
Olathe
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.
Chicago
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Olathe
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Chicago has cleaner air on average: 31.0 AQI (Good) compared to 57.0 AQI (Moderate) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Olathe if you prioritize higher median household income ($114,009/yr).
Pick Chicago if you prioritize cleaner air quality (avg AQI 31.0).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,440/mo in Chicago, IL and $1,314/mo in Olathe, KS. Olathe, KS has the lower rent by about 9%.
Median household income is $77,902 in Chicago, IL and $114,009 in Olathe, KS. Olathe, KS has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Chicago, IL has better air quality on average: 31.0 AQI versus 57.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
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
