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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The income-cost paradox: Joliet pays $88,026 — 10% above the national median — while costing just 91 on the index. No major red flags in that number. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 5-city ranking for 2026 (that's pre-tax, of course).
Joliet earns above the national median ($88,026 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 91 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 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.
Joliet (index 91) and Chicago (index 134) sit 43 points apart on the cost index — proof that Illinois is far from monolithic in affordability.
The income-cost paradox: Joliet pays $88,026 — 10% above the national median — while costing just 91 on the index. No major red flags in that number. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 5-city ranking for 2026 (that's pre-tax, of course).
The 3.5× rule is a conservative benchmark: lenders often approve up to 4-5× income, but 3.5× keeps monthly payments safely under 28% of gross income at typical rates. On $60K, that means targeting homes under $210,000. Joliet offers a median home at $255,981 — a 4.3× ratio with room to spare (that's pre-tax, of course).
Dive into Joliet's numbers: cost index 91 (20 points below national average), rent $1,559/month, income $88,026, and a home price of $255,981. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 91, while Healthcare runs 98. With 150,489 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Real talk: Joliet: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Joliet earns above the national median ($88,026 — we had to double-check this one — vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 91 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
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.
#1 Ranked: Joliet — cost index 91, rent $1,559/mo, income $88,026
Joliet: high income, low cost — a rare combo
3 of 5 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
150,489 residents · Illinois
Joliet earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 91 cost index sits 20 points below the national baseline, and the $88,026 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, Housing leads the way at 91, while Healthcare trails at 98.
146,120 residents · Illinois
Rockford is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,151/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 67. Income sits at $53,328. No major red flags in that number.
113,310 residents · Illinois
Here's Elgin by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 101. Rent: $1,736/month. Income: $88,316/year. Home price: $323,259. Population: 113,310. The strongest category is Healthcare at 100; the most expensive is Housing at 101. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $1,908 per year vs. the national median. In the context of rising national rents, this stability is worth noting.
150,245 residents · Illinois
A closer look at Naperville: the cost index of 126 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 105 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 126 (weakest). And most of the time, it lines up with what you'd expect. Median rent is $2,157/month — 14% above the national median — while household income sits at $150,937, meaning locals spend about 17% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
2,664,452 residents · Illinois
What does daily life actually cost in Chicago? Start with the 37% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Healthcare (index 107) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 134) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $75,134 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and homes at $312,457 round out a profile that ranks #5 for clear reasons (that's pre-tax, of course).
We rank cities by their home-price-to-income ratio (median home price ÷ median household income). A lower ratio means homes are more attainable relative to local earnings. The standard benchmark is 3-5×; above 5× is considered stretched. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Joliet ranks #1 in Illinois for this analysis with a cost index of 91 and 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 91 and rent of $1,559/mo, while Chicago (ranked #5) has a cost index of 134 and rent of $2,292/mo — a 43-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.