Cost of Living Comparison
Chicago, IL vs Dallas, TX
A side-by-side look at what it actually costs to live in Chicago, IL compared to Dallas, TX — housing, salary, tax, and family-of-living metrics powered by FuturePath City Intelligence.
Moving from
Chicago, IL
Midwest · United States
76FuturePath Score
Affordable major metro with population outflow.
Moving to
Dallas, TX
South · United States
86FuturePath Score
Explosive corporate relocation with no state income tax.
Metric
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
Change
Median rent (monthly)
$1,950
$1,500
-23.1%
Median home price
$320K
$400K
+25.0%
Median salary
$88,000
$88,000
0.0%
Effective tax rate
26.7%
22.6%
-4.1 pts
Childcare (monthly)
$1,600
$1,200
-25.0%
Mortgage burden
24.8%
28.4%
+3.6 pts
Cost-of-living score
80
80
0
Overall score
76
86
+10
Migration momentum
62
86
+24
The quick take
Dallas, TX scores higher overall (+10).
- Rent: -23.1% vs Chicago, IL
- Salary: 0.0% vs Chicago, IL
- Cost-of-living score: 0 (higher = more affordable)
Should you make the move?
These numbers are city-wide averages. FuturePath simulates your income, savings, household, and career path against both cities to score affordability, life readiness, and decision confidence.
Run a personalized scenarioExplore city profiles: Chicago, IL · Dallas, TX