Charlotte, NC vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Charlotte to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Charlotte vs Chicago at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charlotte, NC, you'd need about $105,305 in Chicago, IL (+$5,305).
Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($195 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charlotte, NC | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,880 | $27,192 | +$6,312 |
| Groceries | $4,834 | $5,215 | +$381 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,550 | +$420 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $2,208 | +$456 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,900 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $14,141 | +$5,401 |
| Total | $41,336 | $54,206 | +$12,870 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charlotte, NC | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.71% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.0% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $390,321 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.1× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.4% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,740 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $78 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $80 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 3.5 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |