$90,000 in Houston ≈ $94,564 in Chicago
$94,564
Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (98.6 → 103.6). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.
Prices in Chicago run +5.1% vs Houston for equal purchasing power at this salary level.
Same job, both metros
- Chief Executives in Houston Chief Executives in Chicago
- Physicians, All Other in Houston Physicians, All Other in Chicago
- Computer and Information Systems Managers in Houston Computer and Information Systems Managers in Chicago
- Financial Managers in Houston Financial Managers in Chicago
- Architectural and Engineering Managers in Houston Architectural and Engineering Managers in Chicago
- Houston RPP
- 98.6
- Chicago RPP
- 103.6
- Price gap
- +5.1%
- Base salary
- $90,000
Prices in Chicago run +5.1% versus Houston on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are higher at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Houston maps to about $94,564 in Chicago for equal purchasing power.
Salary needed in Chicago
| In Houston | In Chicago |
|---|---|
| $60,000 | $63,043 |
| $90,000 | $94,564 |
| $150,000 | $157,606 |
Equivalent = origin salary × (103.6 ÷ 98.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.
Price level components
| Component | Houston | Chicago | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 98.6 | 103.6 | 100 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 107.3 | 100 |
| Housing (rents) | 104.5 | 112.0 | 100 |
| Other services | 95.6 | 100.5 | 100 |
BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.
Wages in both metros
| Occupation | Houston | Chicago | Dest. middle half | Dest. OEWS emp. | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $275,270 | $344,960 | $197,530 to $428,710 | 3,610 | +25.3% |
| Physicians, All Other | $292,490 | $94,820 | $81,360 to $321,350 | 16,950 | −67.6% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $172,160 | $173,760 | $138,190 to $214,880 | 24,950 | +0.9% |
| Financial Managers | $166,910 | $168,810 | $131,120 to $220,150 | 41,590 | +1.1% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $172,020 | $163,430 | $133,100 to $200,400 | 6,670 | −5.0% |
| Lawyers | $157,980 | $165,660 | $106,980 to $232,270 | 28,320 | +4.9% |
| Marketing Managers | $153,030 | $165,340 | $127,450 to $213,290 | 17,400 | +8.0% |
| Human Resources Managers | $142,110 | $156,770 | $121,230 to $200,710 | 10,810 | +10.3% |
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 Chicago to match $90,000 in Houston?
- About $94,564, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 98.6 and 103.6. 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.