Compare contractor costs between two metros
Pick a trade and two U.S. metros to see each one's median home-service cost, the typical 25th–75th percentile range, the sample size, and the % difference — every number from real public building permits in the ProFix Real Cost Index.
- Typical range (P25–P75)
- $1,000 – $4,000
- Sample size
- n = 14,792
- Permit years
- 2018–2020
- Typical range (P25–P75)
- $2,000 – $10,573
- Sample size
- n = 203
- Permit years
- 2026
Chicago, IL runs about 150% higher than Dallas, TX — a $5,000 median versus $2,000.
Declared permit value reflects both price and the mix of projects filed in each metro — it is a public-record proxy for cost, not a pure price index. Each figure shows its sample size (n); compare the ranges, not just the medians, and always get local quotes.
How to read this comparison
The big number for each metro is the median declared construction value on real building permits for that trade — the public-record figure a city uses to assess fees. It is a strong but imperfect proxy for what you pay: it can run below the out-the-door price, and a higher median can reflect bigger projects, not just higher prices. That is why each card shows its sample size (n) and the 25th–75th percentile range. Two metros with overlapping ranges are not meaningfully different, even if their medians differ. Use this to sanity-check whether a quote in your city is in line with the public record, then get local quotes.
Hand the question to your preferred assistant — it will use ProFix Directory's open MCP server and llms.txt as context.