Cost of Living Comparison
Chicago, IL vs Nashville, TN
A side-by-side look at what it actually costs to live in Chicago, IL compared to Nashville, TN — 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
Nashville, TN
South · United States
82FuturePath Score
Growing music/health hub with no state income tax.
Metric
Chicago, IL
Nashville, TN
Change
Median rent (monthly)
$1,950
$1,550
-20.5%
Median home price
$320K
$415K
+29.7%
Median salary
$88,000
$78,000
-11.4%
Effective tax rate
26.7%
23.1%
-3.6 pts
Childcare (monthly)
$1,600
$1,200
-25.0%
Mortgage burden
24.8%
29.6%
+4.8 pts
Cost-of-living score
80
78
-2
Overall score
76
82
+6
Migration momentum
62
86
+24
The quick take
Nashville, TN scores higher overall (+6).
- Rent: -20.5% vs Chicago, IL
- Salary: -11.4% vs Chicago, IL
- Cost-of-living score: -2 (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 · Nashville, TN