Mechanical Engineers salary in Chicago, IL

Median pay for mechanical engineers in Chicago, IL: $100,200/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $64,330 – $153,540 · about 7,040 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($95,605) by +$4,595 (+5%).

What it's really worth in Chicago

With Chicago's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $100,200 has the buying power of about $97,769 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $85,087 · median home $353,998 · median rent $2,266/mo.

Full Chicago cost of living & taxes →

How Chicago ranks for this job

On raw pay, Chicago, IL is 52nd of the 180 metros we hold mechanical engineers wages for. Once Chicago's cost of living is applied, it ranks 83rd.

The headline number flatters Chicago. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, mechanical engineers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Chicago

A median home in Chicago, IL costs $353,998 — about 3.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $2,266/mo works out at 27% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where mechanical engineers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Chicago.

Metro	Median pay	vs Chicago	Rent vs Chicago
San Jose, CA	$153,520	+53%	1.6×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+37%	1.4×
Albuquerque, NM	$133,660	+33%	0.7×
Tyler, TX	$130,720	+30%	0.6×

Same job elsewhere in IL

Metro	Median pay	vs Chicago	Rent vs Chicago
Peoria, IL	$110,080	+10%	0.5×
Rockford, IL	$80,980	−19%	0.6×

Staying in IL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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