Median rent is 28% lower in Sioux Falls ($1,035/mo vs $1,440/mo). Buying is cheaper in Sioux Falls, where the median home runs $292,400 versus $334,100. Households earn more in Chicago ($77,902 vs $75,970 a year).
City A
Chicago, IL
City B
Sioux Falls, SD
How much would you need to earn in Sioux Falls, SD 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
Sioux Falls
South Dakota
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
Renters will find significantly cheaper housing in Sioux Falls — median rent of $1,035/mo versus $1,440/mo in Chicago, a 28% difference. Median home values are within 12% of each other: $334,100 in Chicago and $292,400 in Sioux Falls.
Metric
Chicago
Sioux Falls
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
Sioux Falls
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Sioux Falls has cleaner air on average: 13.0 AQI (Good) compared to 31.0 AQI (Good) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Sioux Falls if you prioritize cheaper rent ($1,035/mo median).
Pick Sioux Falls if you prioritize cleaner air quality (avg AQI 13.0).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,440/mo in Chicago, IL and $1,035/mo in Sioux Falls, SD. Sioux Falls, SD has the lower rent by about 28%.
Median household income is $77,902 in Chicago, IL and $75,970 in Sioux Falls, SD. Chicago, IL has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Sioux Falls, SD has better air quality on average: 13.0 AQI versus 31.0 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
