Cost of Living Comparison
What your money does in Dayton compared to the city you're leaving, home prices, rent, and the overall index, side by side.
Approximate 2024 market data at the metro level. Actual prices vary by neighborhood and property type.
+20%
Chicago vs. Dayton · more expensive overall (Dayton = 100)
Median Home · Chicago
$320,000
Dayton: $265,000
1BR Rent · Chicago
$1,800/mo
Dayton: $1,050/mo
Housing is the whole story
Dayton's affordability reputation is really a housing story. Groceries, gas, and utilities here sit close to the national average, the overall index moves because the housing line moves. For relocators that's the good news: the biggest expense in your budget is the one that drops, whether you rent or buy.
$265k
Median home price
Metro-wide, individual suburbs run above and below it
$1,050
Avg 1-bedroom rent
Per month, metro average
100
Index baseline
Every city in the comparison is measured against Dayton
25
Metros compared
Coasts, Sun Belt, and Midwest peers
How to read the comparison
- 1
Pick the city you are leaving
The comparison covers 25 metros, coastal, Sun Belt, and Midwest peers, each indexed against Dayton as the baseline.
- 2
Read the housing gap first
Median home price and one-bedroom rent are the two numbers that actually change your monthly budget. For most relocators they dwarf everything else.
- 3
Check the overall index
Dayton sits at 100. Everyday costs like groceries and utilities move far less between metros than housing does, so the overall gap is smaller than the housing gap.
- 4
Translate your budget
The equivalency line converts your current housing dollars into Dayton terms, so you can see what your budget becomes before you look at a single listing.
Questions people actually ask
Is Dayton really that much cheaper than the coasts?
For housing, yes. In this comparison the median San Francisco home costs about five times the Dayton median, and coastal one-bedroom rents run two to three times higher. Day-to-day costs are much closer between metros, which is why the overall index gap is smaller than the housing gap. But housing is most people's biggest line item, so the difference is real money every month.
Will my salary go further in Dayton?
Mostly through housing. If you keep a remote job at your current salary, nearly all of the difference lands in your housing budget. If you are taking a local offer, compare it against the overall index rather than just rent. Dayton salaries run lower than coastal ones, but usually by less than the housing gap.
Are everyday costs. Groceries, gas, utilities. Cheap in Dayton too?
They run modestly below the national average, not dramatically. Dayton's affordability reputation is earned almost entirely on the housing line. Budget for normal Midwest everyday costs and a housing payment that feels like a decade ago, and you'll be close.
How current and precise is this data?
It reflects approximate 2024 metro-level market data, so treat it as directional. Neighborhoods vary widely. Oakwood and new-build Centerville sit well above the Dayton median, while parts of the city sit below it. For a real answer, check live listings at your budget rather than relying on the median.
Tools that pair with this one
The numbers say move. Now pick the street.
Chris helps relocating buyers translate a bigger-city budget into the right Dayton neighborhood, and tells you where the metro medians are misleading.