Chicago vs NYC Cost of Living
I recently got some new grad offers in both cities and I was wondering how the cost of living truly compares between the cities (more specifically Chicago downtown/loop and Manhattan).
Chicago, even if you live in the loop, won't be nearly as expensive as Manhattan. And public transit is so good you can live a bit further away and take the L if you're near a station.
Chicago cigeretts are high. I live in Michigan. So, cheaper. Indiana, which is right next door to Michigan, even more inexpensive. Just a thought
Chicago is way more affordable than Manhattan. Hands down.
Manhattan and SF are like little pockets of ridiculousness when it comes to COL. The Loop isn’t cheap, but it’s definitely no where near Manhattan. You could live in Brooklyn and commute, but of course some people are going to tell you that’d be awful lol. Also Chicago winters are BRUTAL if you’re not familiar with them, so something else to keep in mind. Pros and cons for both for sure.
Oof. I'm from Michigan so hoping the winters aren't much worse. Though I imagine if the temperatures are similar but it's as windy as people say...
Mmm if you’re from Michigan you can probably handle it. I’m from NY and I was horrified by how cold it got in Chicago lol.
Chicago is a cleaner, smaller, nicer version of NYC to me. People are actually nice. That being said, winters are brutal.
Totally true. As someone born and raised in upstate NY, you can get harsh winters across NY state, but you don’t have that wind like Chicago.
Taxes in NYC are higher. Regarding rent, you’ll get a way nicer place in Chicago than NYC, as the rent is cheaper and there is a huge supply of luxury housing. That being said, just about everything else is better in NYC. Even the air, it’s different on the coast compared to the Midwest.
With global warming now, Chicago winters have become much bearable last few years
In terms of compensation- my company has Chicago graded 10% lower than NYC - so if the midpoint for your role in NYC is $100k we would pay $90k if you lived in Chicago.
Oh very interesting! It's very nice to have real numbers. My Chicago offer is actually 80% if my NYC offer so definitely something to keep in mind
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