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Moving from Chicago

The median Chicago home costs $2,140 a month. See what the same home costs in 35 cities, and what you keep. In 31 of them, the average commute is shorter too.6

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Popular cities with the biggest savings

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Towns that pay you to move

Some communities offer cash to new residents, usually for remote workers.5

Jackson, MI100 Homes Program (City of Jackson down payment assistance)Up to $60,000 toward a homeTopeka, KSChoose Topeka Relocation Incentive$15,000 cashMorgantown, WVAscend West Virginia: Morgantown Area$12,000 cash

35 cities that cost less than Chicago

What you keep each month on the median home, compared with $2,140 a month in Chicago.1,2

Monthly payment thereFull bar = Chicago, $2,140/mo
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Notes on the numbers
  1. 1Home prices: median listing price, Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Chicago metro median: $389,450.
  2. 2Monthly cost: Principal and interest on the median listed home with 20% down, 30-year fixed at 7.32% (Freddie Mac 30-year fixed average, week of October 22, 2026). Excludes taxes, insurance and HOA. Rate source
  3. 3Housing costs: BEA regional price parities, 2024. Chicago housing cost index 112.0, US = 100.
  4. 4More people left than arrived: net domestic migration, July 2024 to July 2025, US Census Bureau.
  5. 5Incentive amounts: each program's own page, accessed October 2026. Terms and eligibility vary by program.
  6. 6Commute: Census ACS 2025 1-year, table S0801, mean travel time to work (one way, workers who do not work from home), 2025. Census table