Climate
Chicago logs 15 hot days a year to Salt Lake City's 74 — Chicago wins by 59. Salt Lake City also leads on sunny days by 84.
Chicago
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Salt Lake City
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Salt Lake City is $163/mo cheaperChicago runs about $3,665/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Salt Lake City's $3,502/mo — Salt Lake City comes in $163 cheaper each month, roughly 5% less.
Chicago
$3,665monthly · balanced
Salt Lake City
$3,502monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, Chicago scores 3.4 vs Salt Lake City's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public transit. Salt Lake City still holds an edge on car efficiency.
Culture
Chicago's culture score of 4.4 sits well above Salt Lake City's 3.2, with the biggest gap on nightlife.
Nature & Outdoors
Salt Lake City's nature & outdoors score of 4.8 sits well above Chicago's 3.5, with the biggest gap on mountain access. Chicago still holds an edge on beach lifestyle.
Safety
Chicago and Salt Lake City score neck-and-neck on safety (2.5 vs 2.5, 0–5 scale).
Career
Chicago's career score of 4.7 sits well above Salt Lake City's 3.9, with the biggest gap on economic scale.
Social & Community
Chicago's social & community score is ~1.2× Salt Lake City's — in the upper band, while Salt Lake City lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on multicultural mix.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, Chicago scores 4.6 vs Salt Lake City's 3.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on brunch availability.
Family
On family, Chicago scores 4.0 vs Salt Lake City's 3.5 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools.
Healthcare
Chicago and Salt Lake City score neck-and-neck on healthcare (2.8 vs 2.8, 0–5 scale).
Air Quality
Chicago averages 8.5 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Salt Lake City's 7.1 µg/m³ (good) — Salt Lake City breathes ~17% cleaner air (1.5 µg/m³ lower).
Chicago
Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake City (1.1M) are 4.8x in population — Chicago is the larger metro, Salt Lake City the smaller; on land area Chicago spans roughly 3.9x more ground.
Chicago is roughly 4.3x the scale of Salt Lake City
Combined population & area comparison
ChicagoSalt Lake CityCity Scale Rankings
Chicago5.3M4.8xSalt Lake City1.1M1xChicago2,046 km²3.9xSalt Lake City527 km²1xChicago
Salt Lake City
Who Thrives Here
Chicago favours the nightlife & social, while Salt Lake City suits the mountain seeker. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Chicago vs Salt Lake City
▶Which is cheaper, Chicago or Salt Lake City?
▶How does the climate compare between Chicago and Salt Lake City?
▶Is Chicago or Salt Lake City safer?
▶Should I move to Chicago or Salt Lake City?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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