Chicago, IL vs Lancaster, PA
Moving from Chicago to Lancaster? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($353,998 → $388,207 median home) and taxes.
Chicago vs Lancaster 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 Chicago, IL, you'd need about $94,407 in Lancaster, PA (−$5,593).
Livability — Chicago, IL: 63 · Lancaster, PA: 64 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,402 sqft in Chicago vs 2,254 sqft in Lancaster ($208 vs $222 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Chicago, IL | Lancaster, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,192 | $18,312 | −$8,880 |
| Groceries | $5,215 | $4,915 | −$300 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,440 | −$110 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $2,316 | +$108 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,200 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $14,141 | $9,202 | −$4,939 |
| Total | $54,206 | $39,385 | −$14,821 |
Side by side
| Metric | Chicago, IL | Lancaster, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 96.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.19% | 3.38% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.2% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.51 |
| Median home price | $353,998 | $388,207 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.4% | 4.6% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $222 |
| Median rent | $2,266 | $1,526 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 2.11% | 1.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |