2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Columbia, MD vs Schaumburg, IL

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Schaumburg or is it cheaper to live in Columbia?
- Schaumburg is 17.4% less expensive than Columbia.

Which city has more affordable housing, Schaumburg or Columbia?
- Schaumburg housing costs are 25.7% less expensive than Columbia housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Columbia or is Health Care more affordable in Schaumburg.
- Health related expenses are 1.7% more in Schaumburg.
 Columbia, MDSchaumburg, ILUnited States
 Overall  Unlock105.7100
 Food & Groceries104.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock88.0100
 Housing142.9  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$273,100$338,100
 Utilities110  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock125.4100
 Miscellaneous151.6  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Columbia    28 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

Lived here for a while, beautiful opportunities, pays well, overall nice  More

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Been here 30 years was great at first but once they added a transit bus from baltimore to columbia 15-18 years ago that was the beginning of the end. And about 5 years  More

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Columbia can be described in one word: unequal. The neighborhood I live in, River Hill, is jam-packed with almost million-dollar homes, while the neighborhoods of Long  More

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Reviews for Schaumburg    10 Reviews

Nice middle-class community. Excellent schools. Excellent variety in retail establishments. Very good park district with plentiful activities, classes, and three outdoor  More

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Schaumburg, Schaumburg, it's Ok, I guess I don't have much to  More

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At 11% sales tax I believe that Cook County, IL. is the highest in the country. The cost of gasoline is bumped by this as well as the use of smog formulated fuel which  More

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