Climate
Chicago logs 92 frost days a year to New York City's 53 — New York City wins by 39. Chicago also leads on hot days by 7.
Chicago
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
New York City
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Chicago is $1750/mo cheaperChicago runs about $3,665/mo for a balanced lifestyle against New York City's $5,415/mo — Chicago comes in $1,750 cheaper each month, roughly 48% less.
Chicago
$3,665monthly · balanced
New York City
$5,415monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, New York City scores 3.6 vs Chicago's 3.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on walkability. Chicago still holds an edge on cycling infrastructure.
Culture
New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above Chicago's 4.4, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.
Nature & Outdoors
New York City's nature & outdoors score of 4.0 sits well above Chicago's 3.5, with the biggest gap on sea access. Chicago still holds an edge on lakes & rivers.
Safety
Chicago's safety score of 2.5 sits well above New York City's 2.2, with the biggest gap on flooding safety.
Career
New York City's career score of 5.0 sits well above Chicago's 4.7, with the biggest gap on startup ecosystem.
Social & Community
New York City's social & community score of 4.3 sits well above Chicago's 4.0, with the biggest gap on street atmosphere. Chicago still holds an edge on local-first community.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, New York City scores 5.0 vs Chicago's 4.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on vegan & vegetarian options.
Family
On family, New York City scores 4.3 vs Chicago's 4.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on supermarkets. Chicago still holds an edge on playgrounds.
Healthcare
On healthcare, New York City scores 3.5 vs Chicago's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
Chicago averages 8.5 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus New York City's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — Chicago breathes ~1% cleaner air (0.1 µg/m³ lower).
Chicago
New York City
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.
Chicago (5.3M) and New York City (14.2M) are 2.7x in population — New York City is the larger metro, Chicago the smaller; on land area New York City spans roughly 1.5x more ground.
New York City is roughly 2.0x the scale of Chicago
Combined population & area comparison
New York CityChicagoCity Scale Rankings
New York City14.2M2.7xChicago5.3M1xNew York City3,031 km²1.5xChicago2,046 km²1xChicago
New York City
Who Thrives Here
Chicago favours the safety seeker, while New York City suits the ocean lover. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Chicago vs New York City
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The best city depends on what matters to you
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