Climate
Austin logs 163 hot days a year to Chicago's 15 — Chicago wins by 148. Austin also leads on frost days by 85.
Austin
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Chicago
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Austin is $14/mo cheaperAustin runs about $3,651/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Chicago's $3,665/mo — Austin comes in $14 cheaper each month, roughly 0% less.
Austin
$3,651monthly · balanced
Chicago
$3,665monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, Chicago scores 3.4 vs Austin's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public transit. Austin still holds an edge on airport accessibility.
Culture
Chicago's culture score of 4.4 sits well above Austin's 2.7, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.
Nature & Outdoors
Austin's nature & outdoors score of 3.8 sits well above Chicago's 3.5, with the biggest gap on rock climbing. Chicago still holds an edge on beach lifestyle.
Safety
Austin and Chicago score neck-and-neck on safety (2.6 vs 2.5, 0–5 scale).
Career
Chicago's career score of 4.7 sits well above Austin's 4.1, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.
Social & Community
Chicago's social & community score of 4.0 sits well above Austin's 3.8, with the biggest gap on multicultural mix. Austin still holds an edge on street atmosphere.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, Chicago scores 4.6 vs Austin's 4.2 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on brunch availability.
Family
On family, Chicago scores 4.0 vs Austin's 3.5 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools. Austin still holds an edge on yoga studios.
Healthcare
Austin and Chicago score neck-and-neck on healthcare (2.8 vs 2.8, 0–5 scale).
Air Quality
Austin averages 8.8 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Chicago's 8.5 µg/m³ (good) — Chicago breathes ~3% cleaner air (0.3 µg/m³ lower).
Austin
Chicago
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Austin (1.6M) and Chicago (5.3M) are 3.4x in population — Chicago is the larger metro, Austin the smaller; on land area Chicago spans roughly 3.3x more ground.
Chicago is roughly 3.3x the scale of Austin
Combined population & area comparison
ChicagoAustinCity Scale Rankings
Chicago5.3M3.4xAustin1.6M1xChicago2,046 km²3.3xAustin628 km²1xAustin
Chicago
Who Thrives Here
Austin favours the winter escapist, while Chicago suits the arts & intellectual. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Austin vs Chicago
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