Trenton, NJ vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Trenton to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($446,377 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Trenton 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 Trenton, NJ, you'd need about $100,066 in Chicago, IL (+$66).
Livability — Trenton, NJ: 56 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,129 sqft in Trenton vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($235 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Trenton, NJ | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $31,476 | $27,192 | −$4,284 |
| Groceries | $4,888 | $5,215 | +$328 |
| Transportation | $3,710 | $3,550 | −$160 |
| Utilities | $2,544 | $2,208 | −$336 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,900 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $21,636 | $14,141 | −$7,495 |
| Total | $65,554 | $54,206 | −$11,347 |
Side by side
| Metric | Trenton, NJ | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.4 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.12% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.8% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $446,377 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.1% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $208 |
| Median rent | $2,623 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 13.2% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.60% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 2.62% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 23.5 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 23 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 4 |