Cost of Living: Omaha, NE vs Chicago, IL

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,175/mo in Omaha, NE versus $4,227/mo in Chicago, IL. In the model, rent is about 16.77% of gross in Omaha, NE versus 20.28% in Chicago, IL, so Omaha, NE tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Omaha, NE
$4,175/mo
Income level: near
Take-home in Chicago, IL
$4,227/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Omaha, NE
16.77%
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 Omaha, NE and Chicago, IL.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Omaha, NE: 87.2 (U.S. = 100) · Chicago, IL: 98.3 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Omaha, NE: $1,093/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Chicago, IL: $1,323/mo

Median rent in Chicago, IL is $230/mo higher than in Omaha, NE.

Median Home Price

Omaha, NE: $230,100 · Chicago, IL: $147,800

Median home price in Omaha, NE is $82,300 higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Household Income

Omaha, NE: $72,708 · Chicago, IL: $56,815

Omaha, NE has a higher median household income than Chicago, IL by $15,893.

Omaha, NE overview · Chicago, IL overview · Popular comparisons