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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 91 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it. That tracks.
#1 Ranked: Joliet — cost index 91, rent $1,559/mo, income $88,026
Joliet: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 98, state tax 4.95%, cost index 91 — protecting fixed retirement income
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 91 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it. That tracks.
Retirement planning isn't just about lowest rent — it's about protecting a fixed income from healthcare costs and state taxes. We scored 5 cities in Illinois on what hits retirees hardest: cost of living, healthcare, and tax burden. Joliet leads with index 91, a 4.95% state tax rate, and a healthcare index of 98. The math checks out.
Real talk: Joliet is one of the cheaper options here. Fairly typical for a city this size. Rent is $1,559/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 91. Income sits at $88,026. You get the picture.
In plain English: What makes this tricky: Across Illinois, the average cost of living index is 104 — 7 points below the national median. And as a general rule, known for Chicago's premium versus downstate bargains, the state offers 5 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,779/month. That's $116 less than the national average of $1,895. Over thirty years of homeownership, the property tax savings alone are staggering (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
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 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.
150,489 residents · Illinois
Look, the numbers for Joliet are straightforward: 91 on the cost index, $1,559/month rent, $88,026 income. Moving on. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
146,120 residents · Illinois
So, Rockford. Cost index of 67, rent at $1,151/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $53,328, which is below the national median. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious. That alone makes it worth considering.
113,310 residents · Illinois
The #3 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.
2,664,452 residents · Illinois
Chicago is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $2,292/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 134. Income sits at $75,134. About what you'd guess. Below the radar, but not for long.
150,245 residents · Illinois
In plain English: Here's Naperville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 126. Rent: $2,157/month. Income: $150,937/year. Home price: $594,498. Population: 150,245. The strongest category is Healthcare at 105; the most expensive is Housing at 126. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $3,144 more per year vs. the national median. That's not a marginal difference — it reshapes your monthly budget.
Joliet ranks #1 in Illinois for this analysis with a cost index of 91 and median income of $88,026.
Joliet scores highest for retirees 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 Naperville (ranked #5) has a cost index of 126 and rent of $2,157/mo — a 35-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.