Data Scientist Salary: Boston vs Chicago
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Boston
United States
$178K USD
$178K USD
$178K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+11%
Boston vs Chicago
🇺🇸 Chicago
United States
$161K USD
$161K USD
$161K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Boston | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $178K USD | $161K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $178K | $161K | +11% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $178K 🏆 | $161K | +11% |
| 25th Percentile | $143K USD | $129K USD | — |
| Median | $178K USD | $161K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | $223K USD | $201K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | $193K USD | $174K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Boston offers a Data Scientist salary of $178K USD, while Chicago offers $161K USD — a difference of +11% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Boston's salary is worth $178K in US purchasing power terms, versus $161K for Chicago. This means Boston offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.