Cost of Living: Bloomington, IN vs Chicago, IL

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,332/mo in Bloomington, IN versus $4,227/mo in Chicago, IL. In the model, rent is about 16.9% of gross in Bloomington, IN versus 20.28% in Chicago, IL, so Bloomington, IN tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Bloomington, IN
$4,332/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in Chicago, IL
$4,227/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Bloomington, IN
16.9%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Chicago, IL
20.28%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Bloomington, IN and Chicago, IL.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Chicago, IL
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Bloomington, IN
  • Lower home prices: Chicago, IL
  • Higher median household income: Chicago, IL

Cost of Living Index

Bloomington, IN: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Chicago, IL: 98.3 (U.S. = 100)

Chicago, IL has a lower cost-of-living index than Bloomington, IN, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Bloomington, IN: $1,102/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Chicago, IL: $1,323/mo

Median rent in Chicago, IL is $221/mo higher than in Bloomington, IN.

Median Home Price

Bloomington, IN: $289,700 · Chicago, IL: $147,800

Median home price in Bloomington, IN is $141,900 higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Household Income

Bloomington, IN: $48,918 · Chicago, IL: $56,815

Chicago, IL has a higher median household income than Bloomington, IN by $7,897.

Bloomington, IN overview · Chicago, IL overview · Popular comparisons