with $100k coming in, swapping out of San Diego
changea dispatch from
chicago
IL
41.88°N
87.63°W
Chicago is deep-dish for tourists, thin-crust tavern style for locals, and a hot dog that absolutely will not have ketchup on it. The L rumbles overhead, the lakefront stretches for 18 unbroken miles of beach and trail, and the architecture boat tour is the single best $50 you'll spend. Summer in Chicago might be the best summer in America. The improv comedy gene pool is unmatched.
in our guides
the verdict
cheaper each month than San Diego
Chicago is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
a quick ledger.
$2,170/mo
25% cheaper than San Diego(vs $2,890/mo)
4.95%
$362/mo less in state tax than San Diego
vs 9.3% in San Diego
$5,751/mo
$1,083 more than San Diego
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$365k
64% cheaper than San Diego
vs $1010k in San Diego
9.3M
vs 3.3M in San Diego
field notes, weather & such.
153
pleasant days a year, in chicago.
San Diego has the edge here, logging 332 pleasant days a year. Winter shows up, though: 38 days below 20° vs San Diego's 0.
644% more happening than in San Diego.
70/100
7% lower than San Diego
vs 75/100 in San Diego
Closest outdoor draw: Indiana Dunes National Park, 27.2 mi.
100/100
1% higher than San Diego
vs 99/100 in San Diego
217
295% more than San Diego
vs 55 nonstops in San Diego
same energy as chicago, different zip code:
compare chicago with:
