Cost of Living: Ellicott City, MD vs Chicago, IL

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,224/mo in Ellicott City, MD versus $4,227/mo in Chicago, IL. In the model, rent is about 29.16% of gross in Ellicott City, MD versus 20.28% in Chicago, IL, so Chicago, IL tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Ellicott City, MD
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Chicago, IL
$4,227/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Ellicott City, MD
29.16%
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 Ellicott City, MD and Chicago, IL.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Ellicott City, MD: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Chicago, IL: 98.3 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Ellicott City, MD: $1,901/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Chicago, IL: $1,323/mo

Median rent in Ellicott City, MD is $578/mo higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Home Price

Ellicott City, MD: $644,300 · Chicago, IL: $147,800

Median home price in Ellicott City, MD is $496,500 higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Household Income

Ellicott City, MD: $157,891 · Chicago, IL: $56,815

Ellicott City, MD has a higher median household income than Chicago, IL by $101,076.

Ellicott City, MD overview · Chicago, IL overview · Popular comparisons