Chicago-Naperville-Elgin vs Ogden
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Ogden is 3.1% less expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin.
Ogden, UT is 3.1% less expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 100.3 vs 103.6). A $100,000 salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin buys about the same as $96,867 in Ogden; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 103.6 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin) vs 100.3 (Ogden)
- $100k in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin ≈ $96,867 purchasing power in Ogden
- Goods drives the gap (-10.8 RPP points)
Category Breakdown
| Category | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | Ogden | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 103.6 | 100.3 | -3.2 |
| Goods | 107.3 | 96.4 | -10.8 |
| Services | 83.6 | 78.8 | -4.8 |
| Rents | 112.0 | 117.9 | +5.9 |
Visual Comparison
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Goods creates the largest separation: Ogden is 10.8 points lower. But rents move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Ogden, UT is 3.1% less expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 3.2-point overall gap.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $96,867 in Ogden as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, then replace the national basket with your own.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin would need to be in Ogden for the same purchasing power:
| In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | In Ogden | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,433 | $-1,567 |
| $75,000 | $72,650 | $-2,350 |
| $100,000 | $96,867 | $-3,133 |
| $150,000 | $145,300 | $-4,700 |
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (103.6 → 100.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ogden more expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Ogden is 3.1% less expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin. The overall cost index is 100.3 vs 103.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Ogden equals $100K in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
A $100,000 salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin has the same purchasing power as $96,867 in Ogden. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and Ogden?
Rents in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin are indexed at 112.0 while Ogden is at 117.9 (national average = 100). Ogden has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.