Tulsa, OK vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Tulsa to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($253,725 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Tulsa 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 Tulsa, OK, you'd need about $114,006 in Chicago, IL (+$14,006).
Livability — Tulsa, OK: 71 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,745 sqft in Tulsa vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($134 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tulsa, OK | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,224 | $27,192 | +$10,968 |
| Groceries | $4,667 | $5,215 | +$548 |
| Transportation | $3,575 | $3,550 | −$25 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $2,208 | +$768 |
| Insurance | $4,400 | $1,900 | −$2,500 |
| Taxes | $9,670 | $14,141 | +$4,472 |
| Total | $39,976 | $54,206 | +$14,231 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tulsa, OK | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.9 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.14% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.1% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $253,725 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $134 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,352 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.0% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.99% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.75% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.94% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,400 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 94 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |