# Chicago — relocation profile

Chicago, United States · Flawed democracy · livability 53/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $4,782/month
- **Livability score:** 53 / 100 (rank 115 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 34 / 100 (rank 116 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 40% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, Startup Cities, Rising Stars, Remote Work Visa Cities, Fresh Start Cities, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Tech Settler, Queer Settlers, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $2,388 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,731 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $4,631 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $4,775 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$4,782** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $14,863.

Reference point: 41% cheaper than New York.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 7.8
- **Regime type:** Flawed democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 17.5 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 10 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 13 years
- **English proficiency:** Very High (EF EPI 650)
- **Main languages:** English, Spanish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 20–27°C
- **Winter (low–high):** -4–2°C
- **Internet speed:** 180.22 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 79.7
- **Natural features:** lake

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $85,810 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 2.9% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 4.2% (2025)
- **Population:** 2,721,326

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Toronto | Canada | $1,659 | $3,697 | /cities/toronto |
| Milan | Italy | $1,737 | $3,976 | /cities/milan |
| Seattle | United States | $2,442 | $5,095 | /cities/seattle |
| Geneva | Switzerland | $2,887 | $6,149 | /cities/geneva |
| Lausanne | Switzerland | $2,058 | $4,846 | /cities/lausanne |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/chicago
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/chicago/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/chicago) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.