Overall
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
- 103.6
Diff +5.3 RPP
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin vs Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is 5.1% more expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin.
5.1% more expensive
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is 5.1% more expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 108.9 vs 103.6). A $100,000 salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin buys about the same as $105,105 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 103.6 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin) vs 108.9 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria)
- $100k in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin ≈ $105,105 purchasing power in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
- Rents drives the gap (+39.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IL:DC 103.6→108.9
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE IL × DC
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
- 107.3
Diff -2.4 RPP
Services
Diff +23.1 RPP
Rents
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
- 112.0
Diff +39.1 RPP
| Category | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 103.6 | 108.9 | +5.3 |
| Goods | 107.3 | 104.8 | -2.4 |
| Services | 83.6 | 106.7 | +23.1 |
| Rents | 112.0 | 151.1 | +39.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 103.6
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 108.9
Goods
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 107.3
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 104.8
Services
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 83.6
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 106.7
Rents
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 112.0
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 151.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is 39.1 points higher. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is 5.1% more expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 5.3-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 housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin corresponds to $105,105 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
103.6
Cost Index
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
108.9
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin would need to be in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria for the same purchasing power:
| In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $52,553 | +$2,553 |
| $75,000 | $78,829 | +$3,829 |
| $100,000 | $105,105 | +$5,105 |
| $150,000 | $157,658 | +$7,658 |
$ in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin = in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (103.6 → 108.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria more expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is 5.1% more expensive than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin. The overall cost index is 108.9 vs 103.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria equals $100K in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
A $100,000 salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin has the same purchasing power as $105,105 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria?
Rents in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin are indexed at 112.0 while Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is at 151.1 (national average = 100). Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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.