Salem, OR vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Salem to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($454,689 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Salem 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 Salem, OR, you'd need about $106,352 in Chicago, IL (+$6,352).
Livability — Salem, OR: 59 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,869 sqft in Salem vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($268 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Salem, OR | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,536 | $27,192 | +$7,656 |
| Groceries | $5,239 | $5,215 | −$24 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,550 | −$130 |
| Utilities | $6,072 | $4,800 | −$1,272 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,441 | $8,051 | −$390 |
| Total | $43,148 | $48,988 | +$5,840 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Salem, OR: 8.4% · Chicago, IL: 8.1% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Salem, OR | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.41% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 35 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $454,689 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.3× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.4% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $268 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,628 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 10.8% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 2.11% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.8 yrs | 78.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 9.6% | 8.4% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 69 | 85 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 15 | 18 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 1 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 76% | 96% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 31 |
| Commute by driving alone | 70.9% | 63.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,600 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 90.9 — Relatively Moderate | 97.1 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $58 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $224 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $82 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 340 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.7 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 3.4 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 48% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |
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