If you are looking to move to Illinois, and you are careful about your budget, you might want to be informed about the most expensive cities to live in Illinois. Illinois the fifth most populous state in the US, and it is also the 25th largest state in terms of size in the country. If there is another country you are aiming to move to other than the US, you might be more interested in visiting the 10 most expensive cities to live in Japan.
Illinois is one of the most diverse states in the entire country, and the best part it that it does not have to rely on just one source of income, as it has very well developed agriculture and manufacturing industry, but also a variety of services (logistics, medicine, financial trading, higher education, etc.). In addition, it is one of the biggest transportation hubs in the US, connecting various important ports. Chicago is the most populous city in the entire state, even though Illinois was initially more populated in the Western region.
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Illinois is a great place to live in, with excellent facilities, stable economy, and the GDP per capita of the state of over $40,000. There are plenty of employment opportunities, with an unemployment rate of around 6%. All this, however, suggests that the cost of living is high as well. While you can find reasonably priced homes in the state, you will have to move away from the cities towards the suburbs to achieve that. We consulted a report prepared by Zumper, and their findings corroborated what we believed. If you want to be part of the state which introduced jazz music and Twinkies, then you will need to shell out some money.
To create a complete list of most expensive cities to live in Illinois, we have compared the rent of a one bedroom apartment for each city and the cost of living index (for each city as compared to the average cost of living in Illinois), for which information was obtained from already mentioned Zumpe and AreaVibes. The higher the comparison in the cost of living, the more expensive the city. Let’s finally see the list!
10. Chicago, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,980
Ranking according to monthly rent: 1
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 13%
Ranking according to growth rate: 28
Overall score: 6
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9. Buffalo Grove, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,140
Ranking according to monthly rent: 13
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 23%
Ranking according to growth rate: 10
Overall score: 9
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8. Algonquin, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,710
Ranking according to monthly rent: 4
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 20%
Ranking according to growth rate: 14
Overall score: 11
7. Arlington Heights, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,220
Ranking according to monthly rent: 8
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 26%
Ranking according to growth rate: 9
Overall score: 12
5. Oak Park, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,220
Ranking according to monthly rent: 8
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 27%
Ranking according to growth rate: 7
Overall score: 13
5. Naperville, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,300
Ranking according to monthly rent: 7
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 27%
Ranking according to growth rate: 7
Overall score: 13
3. Northbrook, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,210
Ranking according to monthly rent: 10
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 53%
Ranking according to growth rate: 2
Overall score: 14
3. Wilmette, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,150
Ranking according to monthly rent: 12
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 65%
Ranking according to growth rate: 1
Overall score: 14
2. Highland Park, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,520
Ranking according to monthly rent: 5
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 49%
Ranking according to growth rate: 3
Overall score: 16
1. Glenview, IL
Average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in September 2015: $1,950
Ranking according to monthly rent: 3
Difference in the cost of living as compared to the average cost of living Illinois: 48%
Ranking according to growth rate: 4
Overall score: 17
Glenview is already an extremely expensive place to live in, with a monthly rent well above $1,000. This, added to the fact that the cost of living is exorbitant as well, means that Glenview tops the list of 10 most expensive cities to live in Illinois.
