Illinois Cost of Living
Housing costs and affordability data for 102 counties.
Average Monthly Rent
$867/mo
Average Home Value
$153,020
Average Owner Cost
$960/mo
County cost atlas
Illinois housing costs by county
Compare rent, entry-price context, owner costs, and cost score in one state view. Pin a county, switch layers, then open the full county profile when a place needs closer review.
Counties
102
Avg rent
$867/mo
Owner cost
$960/mo
Avg score
52.7
Higher means lower cost pressure
Atlas layers use U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates. Rent, owner cost, and home value are county medians. Cost score rewards lower rent and lower owner costs, but affordability still depends on income, household size, commute, debt, and personal finances. Use this as decision context, not personalized financial advice.
State Cost Summary
Use these state averages as a starting point, then scan the atlas and rankings for the county-level spread behind them.
Housing Costs in Illinois: An Overview
The unweighted mean of county median rents in Illinois is $867 per month, which is 39% below the national ACS median of $1,413. This gives every county equal weight and is not an official statewide median.
Within Illinois, housing costs vary significantly by county. Kendall County has the highest median rent in this dataset at $1,781 per month and a median home value of $322,400. Hardin County has the lowest reported median rent at $379 per month and a median home value of $103,800.
The unweighted mean of county median home values in Illinois is $153,020, 54% lower than the national ACS median of $332,700. The unweighted mean of county median household incomes is $70,291; neither figure is a household-weighted statewide estimate.
Before comparing places in Illinois, start with the county-level pattern. Costs can swing dramatically between rural and urban counties. Use the atlas, rankings, and county links below to compare rent, home values, owner costs, and rent burden before opening a specific county profile.
Distribution
Rent Distribution in Illinois
How median rents are spread across 102 counties
Highest Median Rent Counties
Lowest Median Rent Counties
All Illinois Counties
Sorted by median rent, highest first. A higher cost score means lower rent and owner cost pressure within the national scoring model.
| County | Median Rent | Home Value | Owner Cost | Cost Score | Rent/Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kendall County | Over $1,500$1,781/mo | $322,400 | $1,987/mo | 3.4 | 30.7% |
| DuPage County | Over $1,500$1,688/mo | $391,400 | $1,930/mo | 4.3 | 27.9% |
| Lake County | $1,000–$1,500$1,477/mo | $345,700 | $1,919/mo | 6.1 | 29.7% |
| Will County | $1,000–$1,500$1,462/mo | $319,600 | $1,823/mo | 6.7 | 30.9% |
| Kane County | $1,000–$1,500$1,453/mo | $327,000 | $1,802/mo | 7.0 | 29.9% |
| Cook County | $1,000–$1,500$1,435/mo | $324,500 | $1,708/mo | 7.7 | 29.5% |
| McHenry County | $1,000–$1,500$1,401/mo | $308,100 | $1,736/mo | 7.9 | 30.2% |
| Grundy County | $1,000–$1,500$1,177/mo | $271,700 | $1,584/mo | 13.4 | 24.2% |
| Kankakee County | $1,000–$1,500$1,097/mo | $192,600 | $1,215/mo | 21.4 | 28.5% |
| St. Clair County | $1,000–$1,500$1,090/mo | $180,300 | $1,161/mo | 22.9 | 28.9% |
| Champaign County | $1,000–$1,500$1,051/mo | $211,500 | $1,235/mo | 22.7 | 33.0% |
| DeKalb County | $1,000–$1,500$1,049/mo | $243,600 | $1,533/mo | 18.0 | 33.3% |
| Piatt County | $1,000–$1,500$1,046/mo | $180,600 | $1,152/mo | 25.0 | 21.9% |
| Monroe County | $1,000–$1,500$1,042/mo | $282,100 | $1,436/mo | 19.6 | 28.0% |
| Boone County | $1,000–$1,500$1,041/mo | $216,900 | $1,299/mo | 22.0 | 27.2% |
| Madison County | $1,000–$1,500$1,024/mo | $173,000 | $1,123/mo | 26.9 | 28.5% |
| Winnebago County | $1,000–$1,500$1,021/mo | $164,500 | $1,040/mo | 30.0 | 29.9% |
| McLean County | $1,000–$1,500$1,009/mo | $208,400 | $1,261/mo | 24.0 | 27.5% |
| Peoria County | Under $1,000$993/mo | $158,500 | $1,071/mo | 30.4 | 28.7% |
| Sangamon County | Under $1,000$983/mo | $176,300 | $1,106/mo | 29.8 | 28.2% |
| Ogle County | Under $1,000$936/mo | $189,200 | $1,111/mo | 32.6 | 24.8% |
| Williamson County | Under $1,000$930/mo | $156,400 | $967/mo | 38.8 | 27.8% |
| LaSalle County | Under $1,000$928/mo | $161,900 | $1,013/mo | 36.8 | 27.1% |
| Ford County | Under $1,000$923/mo | $122,000 | $886/mo | 44.0 | 28.5% |
| Clinton County | Under $1,000$912/mo | $192,400 | $1,077/mo | 35.7 | 24.8% |
| Woodford County | Under $1,000$912/mo | $197,600 | $1,158/mo | 32.9 | 27.4% |
| Tazewell County | Under $1,000$909/mo | $167,500 | $1,081/mo | 35.8 | 26.7% |
| De Witt County | Under $1,000$903/mo | $130,300 | $894/mo | 45.1 | 20.9% |
| Lee County | Under $1,000$894/mo | $154,600 | $959/mo | 42.3 | 25.5% |
| Rock Island County | Under $1,000$889/mo | $150,400 | $1,030/mo | 39.5 | 29.0% |
| Jefferson County | Under $1,000$885/mo | $126,000 | $869/mo | 48.5 | 26.9% |
| Menard County | Under $1,000$885/mo | $185,500 | $1,105/mo | 37.2 | 31.7% |
| Livingston County | Under $1,000$880/mo | $142,200 | $947/mo | 44.1 | 23.6% |
| Clark County | Under $1,000$861/mo | $132,400 | $883/mo | 49.9 | 28.5% |
| Whiteside County | Under $1,000$856/mo | $127,100 | $881/mo | 50.6 | 27.8% |
| Schuyler County | Under $1,000$853/mo | $109,700 | $803/mo | 56.1 | 25.1% |
| Putnam County | Under $1,000$851/mo | $172,700 | $959/mo | 46.5 | 19.6% |
| Douglas County | Under $1,000$848/mo | $150,400 | $952/mo | 47.4 | 22.5% |
| Macon County | Under $1,000$847/mo | $127,300 | $876/mo | 52.0 | 25.8% |
| Jersey County | Under $1,000$846/mo | $171,900 | $1,064/mo | 42.7 | 25.1% |
| Henry County | Under $1,000$842/mo | $151,600 | $915/mo | 50.0 | 24.9% |
| Vermilion County | Under $1,000$838/mo | $97,200 | $700/mo | 65.6 | 28.5% |
| Lawrence County | Under $1,000$836/mo | $99,100 | $615/mo | 71.6 | 24.0% |
| Bureau County | Under $1,000$832/mo | $126,900 | $923/mo | 50.6 | 23.9% |
| Logan County | Under $1,000$829/mo | $134,400 | $942/mo | 50.0 | 28.2% |
| Adams County | Under $1,000$828/mo | $162,600 | $912/mo | 51.7 | 26.3% |
| Jo Daviess County | Under $1,000$825/mo | $209,900 | $1,076/mo | 44.6 | 27.3% |
| Carroll County | Under $1,000$818/mo | $114,500 | $817/mo | 59.0 | 23.8% |
| Washington County | Under $1,000$818/mo | $155,700 | $926/mo | 52.0 | 22.8% |
| Shelby County | Under $1,000$814/mo | $137,100 | $842/mo | 58.0 | 22.3% |
| Crawford County | Under $1,000$811/mo | $121,100 | $837/mo | 58.6 | 21.2% |
| Edwards County | Under $1,000$811/mo | $100,000 | $650/mo | 72.0 | 27.9% |
| Richland County | Under $1,000$805/mo | $112,000 | $715/mo | 68.1 | 28.2% |
| Moultrie County | Under $1,000$804/mo | $134,000 | $877/mo | 56.7 | 22.2% |
| Franklin County | Under $1,000$803/mo | $89,000 | $663/mo | 72.2 | 30.8% |
| Mason County | Under $1,000$802/mo | $103,400 | $753/mo | 65.5 | 43.5% |
| Macoupin County | Under $1,000$801/mo | $138,200 | $862/mo | 58.0 | 23.6% |
| Iroquois County | Under $1,000$799/mo | $137,800 | $883/mo | 56.9 | 25.7% |
| Fayette County | Under $1,000$798/mo | $130,700 | $737/mo | 67.2 | 31.0% |
| Stephenson County | Under $1,000$798/mo | $134,900 | $893/mo | 56.3 | 27.1% |
| Marion County | Under $1,000$794/mo | $103,000 | $805/mo | 62.9 | 27.1% |
| Wabash County | Under $1,000$794/mo | $104,900 | $724/mo | 68.9 | 24.3% |
| Jasper County | Under $1,000$793/mo | $125,500 | $871/mo | 58.6 | 25.4% |
| Knox County | Under $1,000$788/mo | $111,900 | $817/mo | 62.6 | 30.9% |
| Warren County | Under $1,000$788/mo | $105,000 | $795/mo | 64.3 | 20.3% |
| Mercer County | Under $1,000$786/mo | $146,700 | $993/mo | 52.4 | 25.1% |
| Bond County | Under $1,000$785/mo | $145,700 | $904/mo | 57.2 | 19.8% |
| Christian County | Under $1,000$785/mo | $115,500 | $831/mo | 62.1 | 23.9% |
| Fulton County | Under $1,000$785/mo | $107,200 | $806/mo | 63.9 | 27.9% |
| Hancock County | Under $1,000$782/mo | $113,800 | $737/mo | 69.3 | 24.3% |
| Jackson County | Under $1,000$782/mo | $137,300 | $873/mo | 59.9 | 30.1% |
| Marshall County | Under $1,000$782/mo | $142,800 | $894/mo | 58.3 | 26.8% |
| Johnson County | Under $1,000$781/mo | $160,500 | $734/mo | 69.8 | 26.4% |
| Coles County | Under $1,000$780/mo | $127,400 | $827/mo | 63.1 | 26.7% |
| Randolph County | Under $1,000$780/mo | $135,100 | $789/mo | 65.9 | 27.0% |
| Edgar County | Under $1,000$775/mo | $97,300 | $699/mo | 73.2 | 21.5% |
| Cumberland County | Under $1,000$772/mo | $126,000 | $767/mo | 68.4 | 24.4% |
| Henderson County | Under $1,000$764/mo | $104,400 | $711/mo | 73.5 | 24.0% |
| McDonough County | Under $1,000$761/mo | $107,500 | $835/mo | 64.8 | 28.9% |
| Massac County | Under $1,000$756/mo | $121,900 | $809/mo | 67.3 | 30.2% |
| Greene County | Under $1,000$754/mo | $95,200 | $728/mo | 73.4 | 22.9% |
| Clay County | Under $1,000$735/mo | $97,400 | $753/mo | 73.1 | 19.4% |
| Stark County | Under $1,000$735/mo | $104,500 | $797/mo | 69.8 | 24.3% |
| Effingham County | Under $1,000$733/mo | $189,500 | $995/mo | 58.0 | 22.7% |
| Perry County | Under $1,000$728/mo | $112,600 | $695/mo | 78.2 | 29.4% |
| Saline County | Under $1,000$726/mo | $94,300 | $711/mo | 77.1 | 30.5% |
| Cass County | Under $1,000$723/mo | $97,100 | $852/mo | 67.2 | 23.1% |
| Montgomery County | Under $1,000$723/mo | $112,300 | $803/mo | 70.5 | 28.8% |
| Morgan County | Under $1,000$722/mo | $130,800 | $911/mo | 63.3 | 24.4% |
| White County | Under $1,000$719/mo | $108,100 | $678/mo | 80.1 | 27.6% |
| Brown County | Under $1,000$698/mo | $150,300 | $838/mo | 70.0 | 26.3% |
| Scott County | Under $1,000$689/mo | $96,400 | $695/mo | 81.1 | 16.7% |
| Pike County | Under $1,000$676/mo | $101,400 | $775/mo | 76.0 | 26.3% |
| Wayne County | Under $1,000$657/mo | $110,700 | $828/mo | 73.2 | 25.4% |
| Alexander County | Under $1,000$656/mo | $59,800 | $597/mo | 89.5 | 20.3% |
| Union County | Under $1,000$648/mo | $131,700 | $758/mo | 78.7 | 28.8% |
| Pulaski County | Under $1,000$634/mo | $85,100 | $524/mo | 94.6 | 25.9% |
| Calhoun County | Under $1,000$583/mo | $190,900 | $989/mo | 66.2 | 20.4% |
| Hamilton County | Under $1,000$568/mo | $113,700 | $720/mo | 83.9 | 19.2% |
| Gallatin County | Under $1,000$541/mo | $82,900 | $638/mo | 90.0 | 21.5% |
| Pope County | Under $1,000$449/mo | $143,800 | $649/mo | 89.7 | 18.1% |
| Hardin County | Under $1,000$379/mo | $103,800 | $570/mo | 94.9 | 19.0% |
Compare Illinois to Other States
See how Illinois counties stack up against counties in other states. Compare rent, home values, and affordability side by side.
Start a ComparisonFrequently Asked Questions About Illinois Housing Costs
Which Illinois county has the lowest median rent?
Which Illinois county has the highest median rent?
How does Illinois's cost of living compare to the national average?
What is the unweighted county-mean home value in Illinois?
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Compare Moving QuotesData: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2020-2024). Data is informational only and is not personalized financial advice.