$90,000 in Chicago ≈ $83,224 in Buffalo
$83,224
Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (103.6 → 95.8). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.
Prices in Buffalo run −7.5% vs Chicago for equal purchasing power at this salary level.
Same job, both metros
- Chief Executives in Chicago Chief Executives in Buffalo
- Computer and Information Systems Managers in Chicago Computer and Information Systems Managers in Buffalo
- Financial Managers in Chicago Financial Managers in Buffalo
- Architectural and Engineering Managers in Chicago Architectural and Engineering Managers in Buffalo
- Sales Managers in Chicago Sales Managers in Buffalo
- Chicago RPP
- 103.6
- Buffalo RPP
- 95.8
- Price gap
- −7.5%
- Base salary
- $90,000
Prices in Buffalo run −7.5% versus Chicago on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Chicago maps to about $83,224 in Buffalo for equal purchasing power.
Salary needed in Buffalo
| In Chicago | In Buffalo |
|---|---|
| $60,000 | $55,483 |
| $90,000 | $83,224 |
| $150,000 | $138,707 |
Equivalent = origin salary × (95.8 ÷ 103.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.
Price level components
| Component | Chicago | Buffalo | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 103.6 | 95.8 | 100 |
| Goods | 107.3 | 99.7 | 100 |
| Housing (rents) | 112.0 | 81.0 | 100 |
| Other services | 100.5 | 97.8 | 100 |
BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.
Wages in both metros
| Occupation | Chicago | Buffalo | Dest. middle half | Dest. OEWS emp. | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $344,960 | $239,990 | $167,740 to $416,740 | 420 | −30.4% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $173,760 | $172,650 | $138,430 to $207,160 | 1,590 | −0.6% |
| Financial Managers | $168,810 | $164,230 | $128,000 to $211,930 | 2,680 | −2.7% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $163,430 | $164,120 | $134,560 to $180,560 | 630 | +0.4% |
| Sales Managers | $158,690 | $163,090 | $123,340 to $214,400 | 1,200 | +2.8% |
| Marketing Managers | $165,340 | $144,390 | $104,780 to $181,920 | 1,280 | −12.7% |
| Human Resources Managers | $156,770 | $150,180 | $112,990 to $179,240 | 590 | −4.2% |
| Lawyers | $165,660 | $130,800 | $95,490 to $168,560 | 2,930 | −21.0% |
BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.
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FAQ
- What salary do I need in Buffalo to match $90,000 in Chicago?
- About $83,224, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 103.6 and 95.8. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
- What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
- BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
- How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
- BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
- Does this include taxes or benefits?
- No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.
What this covers
Includes
- BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
- BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
- Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)
Does not include
- Federal, state, or local income taxes
- Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
- Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand
See methodology and disclaimer.