Hartford, CT vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Hartford to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($400,167 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Hartford 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 Hartford, CT, you'd need about $99,219 in Chicago, IL (−$781).
Livability — Hartford, CT: 59 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,374 sqft in Hartford vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($211 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Hartford, CT | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,700 | $27,192 | +$3,492 |
| Groceries | $4,930 | $5,215 | +$285 |
| Transportation | $3,720 | $3,550 | −$170 |
| Utilities | $3,480 | $2,208 | −$1,272 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,900 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $15,460 | $14,141 | −$1,318 |
| Total | $52,890 | $54,206 | +$1,317 |
Side by side
| Metric | Hartford, CT | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.3 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.42% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.88 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $400,167 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.2% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $211 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,975 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.4% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.99% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 2.16% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.07% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 32.2 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 150 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |