Chicago-Naperville-Elgin vs San Antonio-New Braunfels: Housing Market Comparison (2026)

Side-by-side Alpha Scores, affordability, momentum, supply, jobs, and rental yield · as of May 2026

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin vs San Antonio-New Braunfels side by side

Metric Chicago-Naperville-Elgin San Antonio-New Braunfels
Alpha Score3436
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health13
Affordability3634
Economic Strength4444
Rental Yield5268
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income3.43.5
Payment-to-Income20.9%21.4%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield5.5%6.0%
Overvaluation Index00

Highlighted = the stronger read for that metric (supply, valuation, and payment burden are better when lower). Income/rent inputs lag annually.

How Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and San Antonio-New Braunfels compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin leads — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 36/100 vs San Antonio-New Braunfels 34/100.
  • Price Momentum: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and San Antonio-New Braunfels score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: San Antonio-New Braunfels leads — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 1/100 vs San Antonio-New Braunfels 3/100.
  • Economic Strength: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and San Antonio-New Braunfels score the same (44/100).
  • Rental Yield: San Antonio-New Braunfels leads — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 52/100 vs San Antonio-New Braunfels 68/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin or San Antonio-New Braunfels?

San Antonio-New Braunfels scores higher — 36 vs 34 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin or San Antonio-New Braunfels more affordable?

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 3.4 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and 3.5 in San Antonio-New Braunfels.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin or San Antonio-New Braunfels?

Both markets show similar price momentum (about 50/100).

Want to swap in other cities, change the metrics, or chart the trend over time? Customize this comparison → in the interactive Compare tool. Or read the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin market brief and the San Antonio-New Braunfels brief.