No offense, and Chicago is most definitely in the mid-west, but it is "big-time" mid-west. Think mid-west outside of the _major_ centres.
And I'm nowhere near you (Loc: Newfoundland ,CA). Here on the rock, central region in particular, house prices are some of the cheapest you've ever seen anywhere - except in it's major centre, Grand Falls-Windsor, where prices are (relatively) astronomical. And GF-W ain't posh or huge (pop: ~18k).
I'll assume that was his point ;P