$100k a year, no longer in St. Louis
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
the monthly cost of moving past St. Louis
Chicago costs more than St. Louis, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
a quick ledger.
$2,170/mo
54% more expensive than St. Louis(vs $1,411/mo)
4.95%
$21/mo more in state tax than St. Louis
vs 4.7% in St. Louis
$5,751/mo
$780 less than St. Louis
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$365k
32% more expensive than St. Louis
vs $277k in St. Louis
9.3M
vs 2.8M in St. Louis
field notes, weather & such.
153
pleasant days a year, in chicago.
St. Louis gets 174 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. A real winter, not a brutal one: 38 days under 20°, vs 22 in St. Louis.
Nights and weekends fill up faster. 16.2× more on the calendar than St. Louis.
70/100
3% higher than St. Louis
vs 68/100 in St. Louis
Closest outdoor draw: Indiana Dunes National Park, 27.2 mi.
100/100
15% higher than St. Louis
vs 87/100 in St. Louis
217
262% more than St. Louis
vs 60 nonstops in St. Louis
compare chicago with:
