USLivingCost Salaries · Rent · Cost of Living

Chicago, IL vs. San Antonio, TX

Median rent is $1,380 a month in Chicago, IL and $1,258 in San Antonio, TX. Household income is $75,134 against $62,917. Both cities are read from the same ACS 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates and the same BEA Regional Price Parities 2023, so the two columns below are directly comparable.

$
Same standard of living
A salary of $100,000 in Chicago, IL buys what $91,390 buys in San Antonio, TX
-$8,610 less to keep the same standard of living
Median gross rent Monthly
$1,380 $1,258 -8.8%
Median household income Annual
$75,134 $62,917 -16.3%
Median home value Owner-occupied
$315,200 $219,700 -30.3%
Rent as share of income Annual rent ÷ income
22.0% 24.0% 2.0 pp
Price level U.S. average = 100
102.6 93.7 -8.7%
Salary needed for median rent Keeps rent at 30% of gross
$55,200 $50,300 -8.9%
Rent median income carries at 30% Affordable rent
$1,878 $1,573 -16.2%
Population City proper
2,707,648 1,458,954 -46.1%
Equivalent salary For $100,000 in Chicago
$100,000 $91,390 -8.6%

A green or red badge means the second city is higher or lower, not better or worse: a lower rent is good for a tenant, a lower household income is not. For the price level and
the share of income the raw values are shown, because a percentage difference between two
percentages is easy to misread.

What the gap means

Lower rent
$1,258
San Antonio, TX · 9.7% below Chicago, IL
Higher household income
$75,134
Chicago, IL · 19.4% above San Antonio, TX
Same standard of living
$91,390
$100,000 in Chicago, IL needs $91,390 in San Antonio, TX
Price level gap
8.8 points
102.6 in IL against 93.7 in TX
Rent burden gap
1.9 points
San Antonio, TX versus Chicago, IL, share of income taken by rent
Highest buying power
106.7%
San Antonio, TX · share of the national average income that a dollar there buys

Occupation wages in both metros

May 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Metropolitan areas may differ from city boundaries.

Occupation Chicago, IL median San Antonio, TX median vs.
General and Operations Managers $109,390 $99,790 -8.8%
Fast Food and Counter Workers $34,630 $27,810 -19.7%
Retail Salespersons $35,820 $30,960 -13.6%
Registered Nurses $100,490 $94,370 -6.1%
Customer Service Representatives $47,100 $42,720 -9.3%
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $38,470 $34,540 -10.2%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $62,300 $53,650 -13.9%
Waiters and Waitresses $31,200 $28,110 -9.9%

Metropolitan areas and cover every industry together, so the two columns may describe wider areas than the city limits used for rent and income.

More comparisons with Chicago, IL

More comparisons with San Antonio, TX

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Definitions used on this page

Salary needed for the median rent
Twelve months of median gross rent divided by 0.30: the income that keeps the median rent at 30% of gross pay.
Price level
BEA regional price parity for the metro area where one is published, otherwise for the state. The national average is 100.
Same standard of living
A salary in Chicago, IL converted into San Antonio, TX at the ratio of the two price levels. It adjusts for prices only, not for taxes or for what either city offers.
Buying power
One hundred divided by the price level: what a dollar buys locally relative to the national average.

Sources

Margins of error are published for every Census figure. Read the methodology before reading a small gap between two cities as a real difference.

Full detail for each city: Chicago, IL · San Antonio, TX