Clarksville, TN vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Clarksville to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($292,990 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Clarksville 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 Clarksville, TN, you'd need about $111,820 in Chicago, IL (+$11,820).
Livability — Clarksville, TN: 68 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,413 sqft in Clarksville vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($147 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Clarksville, TN | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,104 | $27,192 | +$11,088 |
| Groceries | $4,716 | $5,215 | +$499 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,550 | +$420 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $2,208 | +$600 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,900 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $4,758 | $14,141 | +$9,384 |
| Total | $32,516 | $54,206 | +$21,691 |
Side by side
| Metric | Clarksville, TN | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.7 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.16% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 15.8% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.22 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $292,990 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.7% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,342 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.68% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |