--- title: "Chicago vs Washington DC: Class A office comparison" description: "Side-by-side Class A office comparison for Chicago and Washington DC — rent, vacancy, talent, tax, lease norms, transit, and top submarkets." canonical: https://classa.info/compare/chicago-vs-washington-dc pageType: comparison lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > Chicago ($52/sqft, 24.5% vacancy) and Washington DC ($58/sqft, 19.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Chicago on rent and tax and Washington DC on talent depth. ## TL;DR - Class A rent: Chicago $52/sqft vs Washington DC $58/sqft. - Vacancy: Chicago 24.5% vs Washington DC 19.4%. - Talent index: Chicago 88 vs Washington DC 92. - Corporate tax: Chicago 28.5% vs Washington DC 27.1%. - Premium flex/seat/month: Chicago $920 vs Washington DC $880. # Chicago vs Washington DC: Class A office comparison **Chicago ($52/sqft, 24.5% vacancy) and Washington DC ($58/sqft, 19.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Chicago on rent and tax and Washington DC on talent depth.** ## TL;DR - [Class A](/glossary/class-a) rent: Chicago $52/sqft vs Washington DC $58/sqft. - Vacancy: Chicago 24.5% vs Washington DC 19.4%. - Talent index: Chicago 88 vs Washington DC 92. - Corporate tax: Chicago 28.5% vs Washington DC 27.1%. - [Premium flex](/topics/lease-vs-flex)/seat/month: Chicago $920 vs Washington DC $880. ## Market data side-by-side | Metric | Chicago | Washington DC| | Region | Americas | Americas| | Country | United States | United States| | Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $52 | $58| | Class A rent (local) | 52 USD | 58 USD| | Vacancy | 24.5% | 19.4%| | Trend | flat | flat| | Prime yield | 7% | 6.3%| | Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $920 | $880| | Submarkets covered | 6 | 6| | Corporate tax | 28.5% | 27.1%| ## Lease norms | Metric | Chicago | Washington DC| | Typical term | 10 yrs | 10 yrs| | Typical rent-free | 22 mos | 14 mos| | Lease norms | Modified-gross with op-ex escalations over a base year. Rent-free 18-30 months and TI $120-$200/sqft on a 10-year term are current market. | Modified-gross structures with operating-expense pass-throughs over a base year. Federal GSA leases are typically full-service with cap on operating-expense growth. Free rent of 14-18 months and TI allowances of $130-$150/sqft are typical on 10-year private-sector deals.| | Tax note | Combined federal + Illinois corporate tax effectively 28.5%. Cook County personal property lease transaction tax applies. | Federal corporate income tax of 21% plus DC franchise tax of 8.25% drives a combined effective rate of about 27%. Class A office tenants are also subject to DC personal property tax on FF&E.| ## Talent | Metric | Chicago | Washington DC| | Talent index (0–100) | 88 | 92| | Talent note | Deep professional-services, fintech, and trading talent pool. Average all-in compensation indexes 88 vs. New York. | Deepest federal-services and policy talent pool in the world. Strong legal, lobbying, defense, and consulting concentrations. Tech talent has grown rapidly post-2020 driven by AWS, Amazon HQ2, and federal cloud contracts.| ## Transit & commute **Chicago:** CTA L lines and Metra commuter rail. Union Station and Ogilvie anchor commuter rail; Loop Elevated lines circle the historic CBD. **Washington DC:** WMATA Metro (six lines) plus VRE and MARC commuter rail. Union Station anchors regional rail. Trophy office clusters all sit within a 5-minute walk of a Metro station. ## Top submarkets — Chicago - [**West Loop**](/cities/chicago/west-loop) — [trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) · $70/sqft/yr - [**Fulton Market**](/cities/chicago/fulton-market) — prime tier · $65/sqft/yr - [**The Loop**](/cities/chicago/the-loop) — prime tier · $50/sqft/yr ## Top submarkets — Washington DC - [**East End**](/cities/washington-dc/east-end) — trophy tier · $75/sqft/yr - [**Southwest Waterfront**](/cities/washington-dc/southwest-waterfront) — prime tier · $64/sqft/yr - [**Central Business District**](/cities/washington-dc/cbd) — prime tier · $60/sqft/yr ## Decision criteria ### Pick by cost Chicago is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis. ### Pick by talent depth Washington DC has the deeper talent index (92/100 vs 88/100). ### Pick by tax Washington DC has the lower headline corporate tax (27.1% vs 28.5%). Local incentives can change the effective rate materially. ### Pick by lease optionality Chicago typical term is 10 years with 22 months free; Washington DC runs 10 years with 14 months free. ### Pick by transit Chicago: CTA L lines and Metra commuter rail. Union Station and Ogilvie anchor commuter rail; Loop Elevated lines circle the historic CBD. Washington DC: WMATA Metro (six lines) plus VRE and MARC commuter rail. Union Station anchors regional rail. Trophy office clusters all sit within a 5-minute walk of a Metro station. ## Run a 4-city comparison Score Chicago, Washington DC and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD. [**Run a 4-city comparison →**](/tools/city-comparator) ## Frequently asked questions ****Is Class A office cheaper in Chicago or Washington DC?**** : Chicago is cheaper on a USD basis: $52/sqft vs $58/sqft. ****Which has better talent depth, Chicago or Washington DC?**** : Washington DC indexes higher on talent depth (92 vs 88). ****Which has more sublease availability, Chicago or Washington DC?**** : Chicago carries higher vacancy (24.5% vs 19.4%) and therefore typically more [sublease](/topics/sublease-strategy)">sublease overhang. ****What lease term should I expect in Chicago vs Washington DC?**** : Chicago typical term is 10 years with 22 months rent-free; Washington DC typical term is 10 years with 14 months rent-free. ****How does transit and commuter access compare?**** : Chicago: CTA L lines and Metra commuter rail. Union Station and Ogilvie anchor commuter rail; Loop Elevated lines circle the historic CBD. Washington DC: WMATA Metro (six lines) plus VRE and MARC commuter rail. Union Station anchors regional rail. Trophy office clusters all sit within a 5-minute walk of a Metro station. ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Miriam Hollander**](/about/authors/miriam-hollander) — Lead market analyst. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/compare/chicago-vs-washington-dc), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.