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Chicago
#34 of 124
North America

Chicago

IL, United States

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Chicago compare to San Francisco?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Chicago is 29% worse off vs in San Francisco

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Chicago compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$140,000
-$132K (-49%) vs San Francisco
Based on 1547 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$93,100
-$79K (-46%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 34%

Community Insights

New

Chicago is widely regarded on Reddit as the "value pick" for software engineers in the US. It offers a genuine tier-one city experience—dense, walkable, cultural—at a tier-two price point. While it lacks the sheer density of FAANG HQs found on the West Coast, the high-frequency trading (HFT) and fintech sectors pay salaries that compete globally. The trade-off is widely understood: you get high purchasing power and a fantastic summer lifestyle in exchange for enduring a punishing winter and navigating a city with complex social/safety dynamics. For many, the math works out overwhelmingly in their favor.

Resident Sentiment

The sentiment is overwhelmingly positive among transplants, who often describe Chicago as a "hidden gem" where they can actually afford to buy a home and enjoy life. Regret is rare and almost exclusively centered on the weather—specifically the "gray months" of January through March. Residents tend to be fiercely defensive of the city, praising the Midwestern friendliness and down-to-earth vibe compared to the "hustle culture" of NYC or the status-obsession of SF.

The Good

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to San Francisco.

Rankings

Community Events

Top 9%

#11

of 124 cities

18 events on luma

Current value

Home Affordability

Top 10%

#12

of 124 cities

≈2.7 yrs to buy 80m²

Current value

Net Income

Top 17%

#21

of 124 cities

$93,100/yr

Current value

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Chicago compared to San Francisco?

Avg. Property Price
$3,139 / m²
69% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Chicago to maintain the same standard of living.

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Cost of Living
24% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Chicago

Jump Trading logo
Jump Trading
Citadel logo
Citadel
IMC logo
IMC
  • Salary-to-Cost-of-Living Arbitrage: Offers a rare combination of high tech salaries (especially in trading/fintech) with housing costs significantly lower than NYC, SF, or Boston.
  • Diverse Tech Ecosystem: Unlike pure tech hubs, Chicago offers stability with massive industries in logistics, healthcare, insurance, and finance hiring heavily for engineering roles.
  • World-Class Urban Lifestyle: Access to a top-tier culinary scene, vibrant nightlife, and cultural institutions that rival coastal cities but are more accessible.
  • Public Transportation: The CTA (L trains and buses) system is extensive, allowing for a car-free lifestyle in many neighborhoods—a rarity in the US outside the Northeast.
  • Summertime Chi: The city comes alive in the summer with endless street festivals, lakefront beaches, and parks, creating a distinct and celebrated seasonal culture.
  • Central Hub for Travel: Two major international airports (O'Hare and Midway) make it easy to travel anywhere, a perk often mentioned by remote workers and consultants.

The Bad

  • Brutal Winters: The defining drawback; winters are long, gray, and bitterly cold, which can severely impact mental health and social life for several months.
  • High Tax Burden: Residents frequently complain about high sales tax (one of the highest in the nation) and steep property taxes, which eat into the cost-of-living savings.
  • Safety Concerns on Transit: While violent crime is often localized, there are persistent complaints about safety and cleanliness on the CTA (public transit), especially during off-peak hours.
  • Lack of Nature: The geography is extremely flat, and outside of the lakefront, there is little accessible hiking, mountains, or wilderness compared to West Coast hubs.
  • Smaller "Big Tech" Presence: While Google and others have offices, the "tech scene" feels smaller and less dominant than in the Bay Area or Seattle, with fewer networking events and startup incubators.
  • Segregation: The city is notoriously segregated, and transplants often note the stark economic and racial divides between neighborhoods.

The Verdict

You'll love it if...

Software engineers who feel priced out of NYC or SF but refuse to compromise on city amenities like walkability, transit, and food. It is essentially the perfect city for fintech/trading specialists seeking top-tier compensation, or remote workers who want to maximize their disposable income while living in a vibrant, world-class metropolis.

Skip it if...

Individuals with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or a strong aversion to cold weather will struggle here. It is also not ideal for hardcore nature lovers (hikers/climbers) or those whose primary career goal is maximizing equity at early-stage startups or hopping exclusively between Big Tech HQs, as the network effects are weaker than in the Bay Area.

Updated 11/29/2025

Weather4.2/10-52% vs San Francisco
Safety35-12%
Pollution51+3%
Events18-65%
4.2/10TechCities weather score vs 8.7/10 in San Francisco

0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

Weather snapshot

Average High
15°C(vs 19°C in San Francisco)
Average Low
8°C(vs 12°C in San Francisco)
Sunshine Hours
2,508h/yr-553h/yr(-18%)
Hottest Month High
28°C(vs 22°C in San Francisco)
Coldest Month Low
-5°C(vs 8°C in San Francisco)
Rainy Days
91/yr+43/yr(+88%)

Community & Quality

Chicago community pulse

Chicago has 18 Luma events listed.

65% fewer events than San Francisco.

Purchasing Power

Top 27%

#34

of 124 cities

Comfortable Weather

Middle of the pack

#65

of 124 cities

42/100 weather score

Current value

Pollution Score

Middle of the pack

#69

of 124 cities

50.5/100

Current value (lower is better)

Tax Rate

Middle of the pack

#82

of 124 cities

34%

Current value (lower is better)

Cost of Living

Bottom 19%

#102

of 124 cities

67/100

Current value (lower is better)

Safety Index

Bottom 9%

#114

of 124 cities

34.5/100

Current value

SWE Affordability
2.7 years
2.0 years quicker than San Francisco
Muggy Days
42/yr+42/yr(+20850%)
Cloud Cover
47%(vs 34% in San Francisco)