1. Home
  2. /Compare Cities
  3. /Charlotte vs Peoria

Charlotte vs. Peoria

Charlotte, NC  ·  Peoria, IL

TL;DR

Charlotte cost-of-living index is 104 vs 84 for Peoria (US = 100). Median home: $365,000 vs $155,000. Median rent: $1,595/mo vs $800/mo.

Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI · Census ACS, 2026-06-13

Peoria is 19% cheaper than Charlotte overall.

Written by Jere Salmisto, Founder & Quantitative Systems Builder, CalcFi·Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial·Last reviewed 2026-06-13

Looking for the national Mortgage Payment Calculator? Mortgage Payment Calculator.

Home Price

NC: $365,000

IL: $155,000

Monthly Rent

NC: $1,595/mo

IL: $800/mo

COL Index

NC: 104

IL: 84

Median Income

NC: $68,600

IL: $57,800

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric
Charlotte
Peoria
Lower / Higher

Median Home Price

$365,000
$155,000
↓Peoria

Monthly Rent (Median)

$1,595/mo
$800/mo
↓Peoria

Median Household Income

$68,600
$57,800
↓Charlotte

Property Tax Rate

0.79%
2.2%
↓Charlotte

Cost of Living Index

100 = national average

104
84
↓Peoria

Avg. Commute

27 min
20 min
↓Peoria

Unemployment Rate

3.8%
5%
↓Charlotte

Median Age

34.8 yrs
37.8 yrs
↓Peoria

What This Means For You

Headline insight

Buying Power

A $100,000 salary in Charlotte has the same purchasing power as $80,769 in Peoria— based on each city's cost of living index.

Housing

Homes in Peoria cost 58% more (-$210,000 extra). Expect a larger mortgage and down payment.

Renting

Renting in Peoria saves $795/month — $9,540 per year. Median rent: $1,595/mo in Charlotte vs $800/mo in Peoria.

Property Taxes

On a median-priced home, Charlotte owners pay roughly $2,884/year vs $3,410/year in Peoria. That's a $526 annual difference.

Local Earnings

Median household income is $68,600 in Charlotte and $57,800 in Peoria. Peoria residents earn 16% more — but factor in cost of living.

Daily Commute

Average commute is 27 minutes in Charlotte vs 20 minutes in Peoria. Over a year, that's 3500 extra minutes (58 hours) of commuting in Charlotte.

Salary Equivalence

To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Charlotte to Peoria, here's the salary you'd need:

Salary in CharlotteEquivalent in PeoriaDifference
$50,000$40,385-$9,615
$75,000$60,577-$14,423
$100,000$80,769-$19,231
$150,000$121,154-$28,846
$200,000$161,538-$38,462

* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.

Run the Numbers

Mortgage Calculator

See monthly payments for homes in either city

Rent vs Buy

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in these markets?

Cost of Living

Full cost of living comparison tool

Home Appreciation

Project future home value growth

Affordability Calculator

How much home can you afford?

Property Tax Calculator

Estimate taxes in Charlotte or Peoria

Charlotte Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Charlotte→ Rent vs buy in Charlotte

Peoria Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Peoria→ Rent vs buy in Peoria

Related Comparisons

Chicago vs CharlotteDallas vs CharlotteAustin vs CharlotteMiami vs CharlotteAtlanta vs CharlotteCharlotte vs RaleighCharlotte vs NashvilleCharlotte vs Richmond

Charlotte vs Peoria: Common Questions

Is Charlotte or Peoria cheaper to live in?

Based on cost of living indices, Peoria is cheaper overall. Charlotte has a COL index of 104 while Peoria scores 84 (national average = 100).

How do home prices compare between Charlotte and Peoria?

The median home price in Charlotte is $365,000 vs $155,000 in Peoria — a difference of $210,000 (58%).

What salary do I need in Peoria to match my Charlotte income?

Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Charlotte is equivalent to $80,769 in Peoria in terms of purchasing power.

Which city has lower property taxes?

Charlotte has a lower property tax rate (0.79% vs 2.2%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $2,884/year vs $3,410/year.

How does rent compare in Charlotte vs Peoria?

Median monthly rent: $1,595 in Charlotte vs $800 in Peoria. Annualized: $19,140 vs $9,600.

What is the median household income in each city?

Charlotte: $68,600/yr. Peoria: $57,800/yr (Census ACS).

Which city is better for remote workers?

Lower-cost Peoria typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.

Where does the data on this comparison come from?

Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.

How often is this comparison updated?

Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.

Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?

No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.

Related Cities

  • Charlotte Home Affordability
  • Peoria Home Affordability
  • Atlanta vs Peoria
  • Austin vs Peoria
  • Boston vs Peoria
  • Chicago vs Peoria
Browse all Mortgage Payment Calculator calculators →

Sources & Citations

  1. Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
  2. U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
  3. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
  4. Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
  6. Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions

City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].

The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.

Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.

Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.

Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.

Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.

Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed 2026-06-13.