Reading, PA vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Reading to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($312,348 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Reading 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 Reading, PA, you'd need about $106,241 in Chicago, IL (+$6,241).
Livability — Reading, PA: 65 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,801 sqft in Reading vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($179 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Reading, PA | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,060 | $27,192 | +$9,132 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $5,215 | +$300 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,550 | +$110 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,208 | −$108 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,900 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $9,491 | $14,141 | +$4,650 |
| Total | $39,422 | $54,206 | +$14,784 |
Side by side
| Metric | Reading, PA | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.5 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.38% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.49 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $312,348 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.6% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,505 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.86% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $65 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 44.1 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 23.1 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |