PlainCost
Home / States / Illinois

State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP

Cost of Living in Illinois

Statewide Regional Price Parities for Illinois from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 8 metro areas.

100.0
Statewide RPP
#19
of 51 states by cost
93.9
Rents RPP
8
Metro areas

The verdict

Illinois costs less than 37% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 100.0, 0.0% below the national average.

100.0
statewide cost index (US average = 100)
#19
of 51 states by overall cost
bottom 63%
nationally, among all states
93.9
rents RPP, the biggest budget swing

A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $100,042 when earned in Illinois.

Reading the Illinois Cost of Living Picture

The Bureau of Economic Analysis places Illinois's statewide Regional Price Parity at 100.0 for the 2024 data year, 0.0% less expensive the U.S. baseline of 100. Inside the headline figure, the state's goods line runs hottest at 103.8, while services offer the biggest relief at 85.0. That internal spread, rather than the single state number, is what determines whether a household actually feels priced in or priced out.

Illinois captures 8 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN leads on cost at 103.6, while Decatur, IL sits at the opposite end at 88.4 - a gap of 15.2 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 103.8, for services 85.0, and for rents 93.9 - the rent figure tends to be the most volatile input and deserves its own line-item review before any relocation decision.

Over time, Illinois's statewide index has held steady within 0.4 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $100,042 of national buying power when earned inside Illinois, and a household relocating here would need roughly $99,958 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. Pair these numbers with metro-specific wage data and rent tables before treating the statewide figure as your planning assumption.

100.0
Overall
103.8
Goods
85.0
Services
93.9
Rents

Illinois vs every U.S. state

Where this state sits in the national cost distribution

100 Top 37% higher than 63% of 51 US states

84–87: 2 US states (4%). Below this entry. 87–90: 7 US states (14%). Below this entry. 90–93: 8 US states (16%). Below this entry. 93–96: 6 US states (12%). Below this entry. 96–99: 8 US states (16%). Below this entry. 99–102: 5 US states (10%). This entry sits in this band. 102–105: 8 US states (16%). Above this entry. 105–108: 3 US states (6%). Above this entry. 108–111: 4 US states (8%). Above this entry. 111–114: 0 US states (0%). Above this entry. 114–117: 0 US states (0%). Above this entry. This state 84 117 every US state (incl. DC), bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024

Most Expensive in Illinois → Cheapest in Illinois →

Metro areas in Illinois, ranked by cost

# Metro area OverallGoodsServicesRents
1 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 103.6 107.3 83.6 112.0
2 Kankakee 96.4 93.6 89.4 92.9
3 Bloomington 93.5 93.6 89.6 74.7
4 Springfield 92.7 93.6 90.4 71.6
5 Champaign-Urbana 92.7 93.6 90.5 71.6
6 Rockford 92.2 93.6 89.4 70.1
7 Peoria 91.2 93.6 90.5 63.8
8 Decatur 88.4 93.6 91.1 56.2

The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.

RPP History

Year Overall
2008 100.3
2009 101.6
2010 101.8
2011 102.0
2012 100.9
2013 100.2
2014 99.7
2015 98.9
2016 99.5
2017 100.3
2018 100.4
2019 99.5
2020 100.3
2021 101.3
2022 101.2
2023 98.8
2024 100.0

What this means in Illinois

The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Illinois.

  • Don't rely on the state figure alone: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (103.6) and Decatur (88.4) sit 15 index points apart inside Illinois. Check your specific metro.
  • Rents index at 93.9 (6.1% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
  • Weighing Illinois against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator

RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.

Cost of Living Guides

Cheapest Metros to Live in 2026
Official BEA data on the most affordable areas
Most Expensive Cities: 2026 Rankings
What drives high costs and how to cope
Cost of Living vs Wages
Where your dollar goes furthest
Understanding Regional Price Parities
How BEA constructs RPP data

View all guides →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of living in Illinois? ▼
Illinois has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 100.0, meaning it is 0.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 103.8, services at 85.0, and rents at 93.9.
What salary in Illinois equals $100K nationally? ▼
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $99,958 in Illinois. Conversely, $100K earned in Illinois has the purchasing power of $100,042 at the national average.
Is housing expensive in Illinois? ▼
Rents in Illinois are indexed at 93.9, which is 6.1% below the national average. Housing costs are close to the national average.
Which is the most expensive metro in Illinois? ▼
The most expensive metro area in Illinois is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN with an RPP of 103.6. The most affordable is Decatur, IL at 88.4. There are 8 metro areas in Illinois with BEA price data.
Is Illinois getting more expensive? ▼
From 2008 to 2024, Illinois's overall cost index changed by -0.4 points (from 100.3 to 100.0). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What is most expensive in Illinois compared to the U.S. average? ▼
The most expensive category in Illinois is goods at 103.8, which is 3.8% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 85.0, 15.0% below average.

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.