Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Veterans' benefits — pension, VA disability, GI Bill — stretch farther in some cities. We ranked 5 cities in Illinois on cost, state tax burden, and healthcare. Rockford leads with index 86 and 4.95% state tax.
Veterans' benefits — pension, VA disability, GI Bill — stretch farther in some cities. We ranked 5 cities in Illinois on cost, state tax burden, and healthcare. Rockford leads with index 86 and 4.95% state tax.
What does daily life actually cost in Rockford? Start with the 26% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 66) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 89) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $53,328 and homes at $172,610 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Bottom line: Rockford 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.
#1 Ranked: Rockford — cost index 86, rent $1,151/mo, income $53,328
Rockford is a clear outlier at index 86
Veteran scoring: cost index 86, state tax 4.95%, healthcare index 89 — preserving earned benefits
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
146,120 residents · Illinois
A closer look at Rockford: the cost index of 86 breaks down to a Housing index of 66 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 89 (weakest). Median rent is $1,151/month — 39% below the national median — while household income sits at $53,328, meaning locals spend about 26% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
150,489 residents · Illinois
Joliet earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 97 cost index sits 15 points below the national baseline, and the $88,026 — we had to double-check this one — median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $255,981 — $211,389 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 89, while Healthcare trails at 100.
2,664,452 residents · Illinois
Here's Chicago by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 111. Rent: $2,292/month. Income: $75,134/year. Home price: $312,457. Population: 2,664,452. The strongest category is Utilities at 102; the most expensive is Housing at 127. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $4,764 more per year vs. the national median. That's a number worth sharing with anyone who says affordable cities can't have good jobs.
150,245 residents · Illinois
What does daily life actually cost in Naperville? Start with the 17% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 112) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 154) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $150,937 and homes at $594,498 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
113,310 residents · Illinois
Why Elgin ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 103 on the cost index, residents save roughly 9% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,736/month while the median household pulls in $88,316/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 94, though Healthcare (106) lags behind. Home prices average $323,259 — $144,111 below the national median.
#1-ranked Rockford has a cost index 18 points lower than the top-5 average of 104. That's not a marginal lead — it's a category of its own.
Rent in #1-ranked Rockford has increased from $1,087 to $1,151/mo over the past 12 months — a 6% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
Rockford ranks #1 in Illinois for this analysis with a cost index of 86 and median income of $53,328.
Rockford scores highest for military veterans due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,151/mo, and competitive median income of $53,328.
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.
Rockford (ranked #1) has a cost index of 86 and rent of $1,151/mo, while Elgin (ranked #5) has a cost index of 103 and rent of $1,736/mo — a 17-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 Rockford is $1,151/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $744 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Rockford is $172,610, which is 3.2× 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.