Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Moving to Chicago

Today we look at moving to Chicago in USA from Birmingham in United Kingdom. We highlight cost of living and other major differences likely to be experienced in our series of short blogs on moving between different international locations.
In Chicago and Birmingham people speak English.

Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, and is the largest city in the state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States. Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Chicago is home to 12 Fortune 500 companies. Chicago is a major transportation and distribution center. Manufacturing, printing and publishing, and food processing also play major roles in the city's economy. Chicago has the third largest gross metropolitan product in the USA. Birmingham grew to prominence as a manufacturing and engineering centre, however its economy today is dominated by the service sector, which in 2003 accounted for 78% of the city's economic output and 97% of its economic growth. Tourism is also an increasingly important part of the local economy. With major facilities such as the International Convention Centre and National Exhibition Centre the Birmingham area accounts for 42% of the UK conference and exhibition trade.

The overall cost of living rank in Chicago is 167 out of 300 global locations, which equates it with middle cost of living locations.  An expatriate moving from Birmingham to Chicago will experience a change in cost of living of -19.7%.
In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Chicago is ranked as a minimal hardship location with a hardship index of 10% the same as Birmingham.

Source: Cost of Living Chicago USA as at July 2011.

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