same $100k income, fresh start from Santa Maria
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 Santa Maria
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
35% cheaper than Santa Maria(vs $3,352/mo)
4.95%
$362/mo less in state tax than Santa Maria
vs 9.3% in Santa Maria
$5,751/mo
$1,545 more than Santa Maria
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$365k
66% cheaper than Santa Maria
vs $1059k in Santa Maria
9.3M
vs 441k in Santa Maria
field notes, weather & such.
153
pleasant days a year, in chicago.
Santa Maria edges ahead with 337 pleasant days. A real winter, not a brutal one: 38 days under 20°, vs 0 in Santa Maria.
70/100
19% higher than Santa Maria
vs 59/100 in Santa Maria
Closest outdoor draw: Indiana Dunes National Park, 27.2 mi.
100/100
15% higher than Santa Maria
vs 87/100 in Santa Maria
217
10750% more than Santa Maria
vs 2 nonstops in Santa Maria
compare chicago with:
