Salisbury, MD vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Salisbury to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($429,483 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Salisbury 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 Salisbury, MD, you'd need about $101,464 in Chicago, IL (+$1,464).
Livability — Salisbury, MD: 64 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,212 sqft in Salisbury vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($226 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Salisbury, MD | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,616 | $27,192 | +$3,576 |
| Groceries | $4,863 | $5,215 | +$352 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,550 | −$135 |
| Utilities | $5,700 | $4,800 | −$900 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,598 | $8,051 | −$1,547 |
| Total | $47,642 | $48,988 | +$1,346 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Salisbury, MD: 9.6% · 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 | Salisbury, MD | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.6 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.84% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.27 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $429,483 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.9× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $226 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,968 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 11.3% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.49% | 2.11% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 74.7 yrs | 78.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 7.7% | 8.4% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 59 | 85 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 19 | 18 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 91% | 96% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 31 |
| Commute by driving alone | 78.8% | 63.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 60.6 — Relatively Low | 97.1 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $88 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $82 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 450 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 45.0 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 19.3 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |
Ad · affiliate links
Find a job in Salisbury or Chicago
Openings in each metro, so you can check what your salary actually looks like before you move.