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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Joliet: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Joliet earns above the national median ($88,026 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 97 vs 112). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 36 of 288 cities share it.
#1 Ranked: Joliet — cost index 97, rent $1,559/mo, income $88,026
Joliet: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Family-weighted scoring: income $88,026, healthcare index 100, population 150,489 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Joliet: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Joliet earns above the national median ($88,026 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 97 vs 112). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 36 of 288 cities share it.
Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. We scored 5 cities in Illinois on the metrics families care about, and Joliet comes out on top with a cost index of 97, median income of $88,026, and a healthcare index of 100 (which, to be fair, is a metric that favors smaller cities).
A closer look at Joliet: the cost index of 97 breaks down to a Utilities index of 89 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 100 (weakest). Median rent is $1,559/month — 18% below the national median — while household income sits at $88,026, meaning locals spend about 21% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
Before celebrating, check the next metric: The 5 cities we track in Illinois paint a clearly affordable picture. And from what we can tell, average cost index: 104. Median rent: $1,779/month. Household income: $91,148. Illinois is known for Chicago's premium versus downstate bargains — and the data backs that reputation convincingly.
Bottom line: Joliet leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
Joliet earns above the national median ($88,026 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 97 vs 112). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 36 of 288 cities share it.
Rent in #1-ranked Joliet has increased from $1,496 to $1,559/mo over the past 12 months — a 4% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
150,489 residents · Illinois
Here's the thing: Here's Joliet by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 97. Rent: $1,559/month. Income: $88,026/year. Home price: $255,981. Population: 150,489. The strongest category is Utilities at 89; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,032 per year vs. the national median. For anyone running the numbers, this is where it clicks.
2,664,452 residents · Illinois
Dive into Chicago's numbers: cost index 111 — make of that what you will — (1 points below national average), rent $2,292/month, income $75,134, and a home price of $312,457. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 102, while Housing runs 127. As a major city with 2,664,452 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
146,120 residents · Illinois
Why Rockford ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 86 on the cost index, residents save roughly 26% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,151/month while the median household pulls in $53,328/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 66, though Healthcare (89) lags behind. Home prices average $172,610 — $294,760 below the national median.
113,310 residents · Illinois
The #4 spot goes to Elgin, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,736/month — saving renters $1,908 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 94, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 106. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
150,245 residents · Illinois
Why Naperville ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 122 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 10% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,157/month — we had to double-check this one — while the median household pulls in $150,937/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 112, though Housing (154) lags behind. Home prices average $594,498 — $127,128 above the national median (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Joliet ranks #1 in Illinois for this analysis with a cost index of 97 and median income of $88,026.
Joliet scores highest for families due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,559/mo, and above-average median income of $88,026.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Joliet (ranked #1) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,559/mo, while Naperville (ranked #5) has a cost index of 122 and rent of $2,157/mo — a 25-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Joliet is $1,559/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $336 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Joliet is $255,981, which is 2.9× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Illinois has a 4.95% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.83%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.73%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.