Cost of Living: Fort Collins, CO vs Chicago, IL

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,259/mo in Fort Collins, CO versus $4,227/mo in Chicago, IL. In the model, rent is about 24.21% of gross in Fort Collins, CO versus 20.28% in Chicago, IL, so Chicago, IL tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Fort Collins, CO
$4,259/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Chicago, IL
$4,227/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Fort Collins, CO
24.21%
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 Fort Collins, CO 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: Fort Collins, CO

Cost of Living Index

Fort Collins, CO: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Chicago, IL: 98.3 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Fort Collins, CO: $1,578/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Chicago, IL: $1,323/mo

Median rent in Fort Collins, CO is $255/mo higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Home Price

Fort Collins, CO: $548,400 · Chicago, IL: $147,800

Median home price in Fort Collins, CO is $400,600 higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Household Income

Fort Collins, CO: $83,598 · Chicago, IL: $56,815

Fort Collins, CO has a higher median household income than Chicago, IL by $26,783.

Fort Collins, CO overview · Chicago, IL overview · Popular comparisons