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I spent summers in both Chicago and NYC when I was younger. They're both great but I preferred Chicago. It offers a lot of what you can get in NYC for a lot more affordable prices. Also, the riverwalk area is my favorite, there isn't an equivalent area in NYC. I also like the small beaches by the lake.
Getting back to OP's questions the premium would likely be worth it for people who're in musical theater, finance, publishing or other fields where NYC is far ahead. If talking just in terms of amenities then it depends on what you like to do. There are still things you can do in NY that you can't in Chicago, but I doubt there are that many and most people likely won't want to pay extra for them. Generally speaking if you're young, social and curious then you'll likely get more out of living in NYC - there are far more people like you from all over the world living there then Chicago or anywhere else. If you take the social aspect out then I don't think the premium is worth it unless you are able to utilize the entire Northeastern corridor.
If you are single or childless, NYC is definitely worth it for a couple years. It's a dynamic global maga city unlike any other in the US.
Longer term, it's a tougher call. Unless you are wealthy, life in NYC is pretty damn hard. Middle class ( and lower) make it work. But I can definitely see the attraction of Chicago. Were you still get access to a major city at a much lower cost and with more space.
Virtually nobody chooses Chicago over NYC unless they're from Chicago and the surrounding region. The reasons for that are obvious.
To be fair, a lot of that is because Chicago for all intents and purposes is just a smaller NYC, so it's not the #1 for any particular type of person (except on COL grounds). People do pick Orlando or Bend, OR over NYC and they are far below Chicago in scale, economy, and diversity, but they serve particular niches very well.
Honestly? Probably just the job market. I mean, NYC has more/better restaurants, museums, nightlife, theater, blah blah blah. But Chicago is good enough in all of those areas. How many Michelin starred meals does one eat in a year? The Met is amazing... I haven't stepped foot in it in 7 years. Ditto the Frick, though I did take my kids to the slime museum, which was pretty cool. There are so many good restaurants here, more new ones open each month than we go to in an entire year. There are hundreds of amazing cocktail bars here, but we go to the same 2-3 every single time we go out. I could go on...
Suppose it comes down to life stage - with 2 young kids we could live in NYC or Chicago and I highly doubt are actual day-to-day life would be much different. As a family with no roots in NYC (but have been here for 10 years), we're here for work, full stop. And that has been good to us, and we both get calls from recruiters all the time. It's what will probably keep us here until the kids graduate HS in 13 years. After that, we're free agents.
So the TLDR, NYC is a huge global city, Chicago is a slightly smaller, slightly less global city but still with all the trappings of a big city (and a 50%+ discount on housing). If work were not a factor I'd have no problem living in Chicago whatsoever.
I lived in NYC after college and LOVED it... yes, everything is expensive and in the beginning it can be overwhelming like any city but it truly is IMO the best city in the world. If you can afford it I would go with NYC like nothing against Chicago but that's not even like a question honestly. I've visited Chicago and it was OK but it's not NYC.
Honestly? Probably just the job market. I mean, NYC has more/better restaurants, museums, nightlife, theater, blah blah blah. But Chicago is good enough in all of those areas. How many Michelin starred meals does one eat in a year? The Met is amazing... I haven't stepped foot in it in 7 years. Ditto the Frick, though I did take my kids to the slime museum, which was pretty cool. There are so many good restaurants here, more new ones open each month than we go to in an entire year. There are hundreds of amazing cocktail bars here, but we go to the same 2-3 every single time we go out. I could go on...
Suppose it comes down to life stage - with 2 young kids we could live in NYC or Chicago and I highly doubt are actual day-to-day life would be much different. As a family with no roots in NYC (but have been here for 10 years), we're here for work, full stop. And that has been good to us, and we both get calls from recruiters all the time. It's what will probably keep us here until the kids graduate HS in 13 years. After that, we're free agents.
So the TLDR, NYC is a huge global city, Chicago is a slightly smaller, slightly less global city but still with all the trappings of a big city (and a 50%+ discount on housing). If work were not a factor I'd have no problem living in Chicago whatsoever.
I agree somewhat but Chicago is not just slightly smaller it’s a lot smaller. It’s 8.5 vs 2.6M.
Chicago is a safer, more comfortable option, but New York is such high caliber that it can make or break you. I think that's part of the excitement of living there. A lot of people start off in New York and then move away to Chicago or other smaller cities. I knew many 30+ people in Chicago who spent time in New York, loved it, but then didn't regret at all moving to Chicago to have a more realistic life.
I don't think there's another urban, bustling environment like Chicago after New York, but the gap between the two in almost everything is quite large. New York has pretty much everything outside of nature (even then it has beautiful parks). Some people on here are like "EWWW Midwest" but Chicago isn't as strictly regional as some people are saying, but it really does lack behind New York and it feels just like a very important American city that keeps the world moving rather than a truly global city like NYC. That's not to it's fault though, there's literally only a few other cities outside of NYC that are like that.
The way the economy is going it may be more financially wise to go with Chicago but if you're always going to wonder "what if" give NYC a try if it's feasible and you're ready to live with roommates and give up some comfort for excitement.
I agree somewhat but Chicago is not just slightly smaller it’s a lot smaller. It’s 8.5 vs 2.6M.
There is two reason people say Chicago is somewhat smaller. And that’s why the vibes are closer than the stats
1) the bigger the city the less people actually experience. I’d bet like 90% of non-staten island New Yorkers have even been to Staten Island. If you’re from Brooklyn you don’t really go to the Bronx, like at all it’s “too far”. “Where you will actually hang out in New York” probably has like a 1.4 million people. In Chicago probably 900,000 people
2) people experience size on a logarithmic scale. Which is why people don’t really draw a distinction between Philly and Dallas (1.5 million person gap) but do between Philly and Minneapolis (1.5 million person gap)
I agree somewhat but Chicago is not just slightly smaller it’s a lot smaller. It’s 8.5 vs 2.6M.
Yeah, I get it, it’s much bigger. But in reality it’s probably more like 2x larger rather than 4x larger, which is about what the MSA difference is. For the same reason I wouldn’t say NYC is 3x larger than LA. The 5 boroughs cover some serious distance.
I guess my point was for most people, they will have more than enough urban amenities to keep them busy in Chicago. For the top 1% of cityphiles, which this forum attracts, only NYC will scratch that itch. But after being here for 10 years, while I still enjoy it, the mystique is long gone and I can envision a life post-NYC.
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