Cost of Living: Palm Desert, CA vs Chicago, IL

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in Palm Desert, CA versus $4,227/mo in Chicago, IL. In the model, rent is about 25.01% of gross in Palm Desert, CA versus 20.28% in Chicago, IL, so Chicago, IL tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Palm Desert, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Chicago, IL
$4,227/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Palm Desert, CA
25.01%
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 Palm Desert, CA 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: Palm Desert, CA

Cost of Living Index

Palm Desert, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Chicago, IL: 98.3 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Palm Desert, CA: $1,631/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Chicago, IL: $1,323/mo

Median rent in Palm Desert, CA is $308/mo higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Home Price

Palm Desert, CA: $491,600 · Chicago, IL: $147,800

Median home price in Palm Desert, CA is $343,800 higher than in Chicago, IL.

Median Household Income

Palm Desert, CA: $79,508 · Chicago, IL: $56,815

Palm Desert, CA has a higher median household income than Chicago, IL by $22,693.

Palm Desert, CA overview · Chicago, IL overview · Popular comparisons