Cost of Living: El Paso, TX vs Chicago, IL

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,516/mo in El Paso, TX versus $4,227/mo in Chicago, IL. In the model, rent is about 15.17% of gross in El Paso, TX versus 20.28% in Chicago, IL, so El Paso, TX tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in El Paso, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in Chicago, IL
$4,227/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in El Paso, TX
15.17%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Chicago, IL
20.28%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between El Paso, TX and Chicago, IL.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

El Paso, TX: 85.2 (U.S. = 100) · Chicago, IL: 98.3 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

El Paso, TX: $989/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Chicago, IL: $1,323/mo

Median rent in Chicago, IL is $334/mo higher than in El Paso, TX.

Median Home Price

El Paso, TX: $171,700 · Chicago, IL: $147,800

Median home price in El Paso, TX is $23,900 higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Household Income

El Paso, TX: $58,734 · Chicago, IL: $56,815

El Paso, TX has a higher median household income than Chicago, IL by $1,919.

El Paso, TX overview · Chicago, IL overview · Popular comparisons