Chicago vs Santa Fe: Cost, Climate, Safety

Climate

Chicago logs 15 hot days a year to Santa Fe's 41 — Chicago wins by 26. Santa Fe also leads on sunny days by 126.

ChicagoSanta Fe

Sunny days

198324

Hot days

1541

Frost days

92132

Rain days

11544

Snow days

1416

Outdoor dinner months

4/124/12

Avg wind

3.9 m/s2.6 m/s

Sunshine hours

2,2923,355

Darkest month sun

80 hrs/mo203 hrs/mo

UV peak month

7.710.7

Chicago

Feels-like °C

-9

-10

-7

Dinner outside

Chicago Climate Lab →Lifestyle Calendar →Climate twin →

Santa Fe

Feels-like °C

-2

-3

Dinner outside

Santa Fe Climate Lab →Lifestyle Calendar →Climate twin →

Cost of Living

Chicago averages $3,665/mo for balanced living; Santa Fe has no cost baseline yet.

Chicago

$3,665

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $2,819Comfort $6,114

Top 73%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

Chicago Budget Lab →

Santa Fe

—

monthly · balanced

Santa Fe Budget Lab →

Mobility

Chicago scores 3.4 on mobility (0–5 scale); Santa Fe has no mobility baseline.

WalkabilityTransitCyclingFlights

3.4/5

—/5

3.4/5

—/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

WalkabilityTransitCyclingFlights

Culture

Chicago's culture score of 4.4 sits well above Santa Fe's 0.0.

ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife

4.4/5

0.0/5

4.4/5

0.0/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife

Chicago leads

Nature & Outdoors

Chicago scores 3.5 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Santa Fe has no nature & outdoors baseline.

ForestGreen AreasLakesRunningCamping

3.5/5

—/5

3.5/5

—/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

ForestGreen AreasLakesRunningCamping

Safety

Chicago scores 2.5 on safety (0–5 scale); Santa Fe has no safety baseline.

Property Crime

2.5/5

—/5

2.5/5

—/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

Property Crime

Career

Chicago scores 4.7 on career (0–5 scale); Santa Fe has no career baseline.

JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

4.7/5

—/5

4.7/5

—/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

Chicago scores 4.0 on social & community (0–5 scale); Santa Fe has no social & community baseline.

Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support

4.0/5

—/5

4.0/5

—/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Chicago scores 4.6 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Santa Fe has no food & dining baseline.

RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

4.6/5

—/5

4.6/5

—/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

Chicago scores 4.0 on family (0–5 scale); Santa Fe has no family baseline.

Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

4.0/5

—/5

4.0/5

—/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

Chicago scores 2.8 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Santa Fe has no healthcare baseline.

Private Healthcare

2.8/5

—/5

2.8/5

—/5

ChicagoSanta Fe

Private Healthcare

Air Quality

Chicago averages 8.5 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Santa Fe's 5.1 µg/m³ (good) — Santa Fe breathes ~40% cleaner air (3.4 µg/m³ lower).

Chicago

Santa Fe

8.5µg/m³

5.1µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good

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 Santa Fe (84K) are 63x in population — Chicago is the larger metro, Santa Fe the smaller.

63x

Chicago is roughly 63x the scale of Santa Fe

Based on population (area data unavailable for some cities)

Chicago

63x

Santa Fe

City Scale Rankings

Population

Chicago5.3M63x

Santa Fe84K1x

Who Thrives Here

Chicago favours the english speaker, while Santa Fe suits the sunshine lover. Both cities work well for the clean air seeker.

Thrives in both

ChicagoSanta Fe

Clean Air Seeker

89%100%

Thrives only in Chicago

ChicagoSanta Fe

Thrives only in Santa Fe

ChicagoSanta Fe

Struggles in both

ChicagoSanta Fe

Also compared

🇺🇸 Atlanta vs 🇺🇸 Chicago 🇺🇸 Boston vs 🇺🇸 Chicago 🇺🇸 Charlotte vs 🇺🇸 Chicago 🇺🇸 Chicago vs 🇺🇸 Denver 🇺🇸 Chicago vs 🇺🇸 Honolulu

Frequently asked about Chicago vs Santa Fe

▶Which is cheaper, Chicago or Santa Fe?

Chicago has an estimated monthly cost of $3,665.

▶How does the climate compare between Chicago and Santa Fe?

Sunny days: 198 vs 324 d — Santa Fe higher Annual sunshine: 2,292 vs 3,355 hrs — Santa Fe higher Winter sunshine: 80 vs 203 hrs/day — Santa Fe higher Hot days (>30°C): 15 vs 41 d — Chicago lower Frost days: 92 vs 132 d — Chicago lower Rainy days: 115 vs 44 d — Santa Fe lower Snowy days: 14 vs 16 d — Similar

▶Is Chicago or Santa Fe safer?

Chicago has a safety score of 2.5/5.

▶Should I move to Chicago or Santa Fe?

Chicago and Santa Fe are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

Take the quiz→Discover by priority→

View Chicago profile →View Santa Fe profile →

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Chicago and Santa Fe stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

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