HEAD TO HEAD
Chicago vs New York
Chicago and New York split the factors 2–2 — it comes down to which ones you weight.
Chicago, IL
wins 2 of 5 factors
New York, NY
wins 2 of 5 factors
Match scores, side by side
| Factor | Chicago | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Affordable to buy | 84 ◆ | 59 |
| Affordable to rent | 49 ◆ | 4 |
| Climate comfort | 47 | 64 ◆ |
| Plenty of sunshine | 38 | 40 ◆ |
| Big-city amenities | 100 | 100 |
By the numbers
| Figure | Chicago | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $354K | $728K |
| Typical rent | $2,266/mo | $3,503/mo |
| Average temperature | 9.8°C | 12.3°C |
| Sunshine (solar energy) | 3.84 kWh/m²/day | 3.92 kWh/m²/day |
| Metro size rank (US) | #3 | #1 |
Home & rent Zillow, May 2026 · climate & sunshine NASA POWER climatology. Scores are normalised 0–100 across all metros; higher is better. A research aid, not advice.