60k each year? or 60k total? Either way 60k is a lot, people at UDM are generally quite happy, i've never met one that wasn't, but every school is what you make of it and every one that I visited had happy students. Cost of living in Chicago will be higher as well, personally if it was 60k difference and I had a choice I think I would go to the town that interests me most just to experience new things.