Davenport, IA vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Davenport to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($195,380 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Davenport 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 Davenport, IA, you'd need about $114,942 in Chicago, IL (+$14,942).
Livability — Davenport, IA: 73 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,223 sqft in Davenport vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($118 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Davenport, IA | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $12,252 | $27,192 | +$14,940 |
| Groceries | $4,814 | $5,215 | +$401 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,550 | +$400 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $2,208 | +$708 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,900 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $9,346 | $14,141 | +$4,795 |
| Total | $32,762 | $54,206 | +$21,444 |
Side by side
| Metric | Davenport, IA | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.2 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.82% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 46 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $195,380 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.9× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.9% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $118 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,021 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.93% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |