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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
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 91, median income of $88,026, and a healthcare index of 98.
150,489 residents · Illinois
Here's Joliet by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 91. Rent: $1,559/month. Income: $88,026/year. Home price: $255,981. Population: 150,489. The strongest category is Housing at 91; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,032 per year vs. the national median. On a fixed income, this is the metric that matters most.
2,664,452 residents · Illinois
Real talk: Here's Chicago by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 134. Rent: $2,292/month. Income: $75,134/year. Home price: $312,457. Population: 2,664,452. The strongest category is Healthcare at 107; the most expensive is Housing at 134. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $4,764 more per year vs. the national median. That's the sort of advantage that turns renters into homeowners.
150,245 residents · Illinois
Naperville earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 126 cost index sits 15 points above the national baseline, and the $150,937 median income means purchasing power here is partially offset by higher costs. Homes list at $594,498 — $127,128 above the national median, reflecting the local market dynamics. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 105, while Housing trails at 126.
146,120 residents · Illinois
In plain English: Why Rockford ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. And roughly speaking, at 67 on the cost index, residents save roughly 44% 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 67, though Healthcare (93) lags behind. Home prices average $172,610 — $294,760 below the national median.
113,310 residents · Illinois
The #5 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, Healthcare is the standout at index 100, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 101. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
#1 Ranked: Joliet — cost index 91, rent $1,559/mo, income $88,026
Joliet: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Family-weighted scoring: income $88,026, healthcare index 98, population 150,489 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
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 91, median income of $88,026, and a healthcare index of 98.
The #1 spot goes to Joliet, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,559/month — saving renters $4,032 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 91, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 98. At a 21% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
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.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to families. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Illinois by this personalized metric. 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.
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 91 and rent of $1,559/mo, while Elgin (ranked #5) has a cost index of 101 and rent of $1,736/mo — a 10-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.