Cost of Living: Chicago vs London (2026)

United States vs United Kingdom — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Chicago

London

$2,388/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$3,000/mo

$75k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$15k/yr

10 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

4-year FIG regime (Foreign Income and Gains)

Freelance setup

Self-employed / Sole Proprietor

No VAT exemption
15.3% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sole Trader

VAT-free under €105k
9% social
€600/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRChicago is 20% cheaper on rent ($2,388/mo vs $3,000/mo). United Kingdom gets you to permanent residency 5 years faster (5 vs 10 years). Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

London edges ahead 61 to 53. Chicago isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

How the livability score breaks down

Chicago

London

5.9/25

💰 Affordability

0/25

0/15

🔒 Violent Crime

13.9/15

3.5/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

4.5/10

13.5/15

⚡ Internet

6.5/15

11.8/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.5/15

10/10

🗣️ English

10/10

9.2/10

☀️ Climate

8.3/10

7.1/10

📊 Stability

6.7/10

3.4/10

🚗 Road Safety

10/10

4.2/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

7.5/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇬🇧 London

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇺🇸 Chicago

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

London vs Manchester

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Chicago

Metric

London

✓$819/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$1159/mo

✓$8,623

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$9,238

34 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

82 / 100✓

17.5 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

1.1 / 100k✓

14.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

2.4 / 100k✓

35 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

45 / 100✓

81°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

72°F

25°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

39°F

✓180 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

87 Mbps

11.3 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

9.5 μg/m³✓

80 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

82 / 100

7.8 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.3 / 10✓

✓8.0 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.6 / 9

✓67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

52 / 100

100/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

100/100

✓$86k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$62k

✓2.9% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

3.3% · Boringly steady

83/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

92/100 — Reliable✓

80/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

92/100✓

A median Software Engineer in Chicago takes home $11,064/mo under Standard employee. In London: $7,241/mo under Standard employee.

$3,823/mo more in Chicago

🎯 London's 4-year FIG regime (Foreign Income and Gains) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $6,826/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$191k

💰

Gross income

$117k

−$44k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$26k

−$14k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$5k

✓$133k/yr

$11k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$87k/yr

$7k/mo

−$57k

🏠

Cost of living

−$72k

✓$75k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$15k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Chicago

$612/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

London

1.1 homicides per 100k

🗳️

Democracy

London

8.3/10 EIU index

☀️

Weather

—

81°F vs 72°F summers

📋

Residency

London

PR in 5 years

Sun

How much sky you actually get

53% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

42% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.1h

Shortest day

Dec

7.8h

15.2h

Longest day

Jun

16.6h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

financetradinghealthcaremanufacturing

Industries

fintechaibiotechcreative-tech

hub

Startup ecosystem

hub

Easy

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

EU visa

Moderate

Suspended

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

⚠️ Partner work rights are very limited

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

Partner pathway

Recognized (2+ yr)

unmarried partner / civil partnership

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

Broad social grounds

24 wk

Gestational limit

24 wk

Protected by the Reproductive Health Act; regional access hub for the Midwest.

Requires two doctors' approval under Abortion Act 1967, but broadly available up to 24 weeks.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Chicago vs London — Common Questions

Is Chicago cheaper than London?▾

Chicago is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $2388/month there vs $3000/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Chicago or London?▾

London is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Chicago has a rate of 17.50 per 100,000 and London has 1.07 per 100,000.

Should I move to Chicago or London?▾

London edges ahead 61 to 53. Chicago isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Chicago or London?▾

Chicago: US Employment-Based Green Card (complex process, Permanent residence). London: UK Skilled Worker Visa (complex process, Up to 5 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Chicago or London?▾

Chicago is warmer in summer (81°F vs 72°F). London has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

What's the cost of rent in Chicago vs London?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $2388/month in Chicago, $3000/month in London (Numbeo). That's 20% cheaper rent in Chicago.