Illinois ranks #19 of 51 for cost of living in 2026.
Cost of Living Index by State
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Updated 2026-04-25. Click any state for the full breakdown.
Illinois cost of living is 99.958 as of 2024, according to BEA Regional Price Parities. That puts Illinois at rank #19 of 50 US states, above the national average of 97.235.
Among Illinois's neighbors, Wisconsin shows 94.095, Iowa shows 87.762, Missouri shows 90.817. Use the CalcFi compare view to line all of them up: /maps/compare?cat=cost-of-living&states=il,wi,ia,mo. Nearby states share labor markets and housing corridors, so the comparison is usually the most relevant one.
Top Illinois metros include Chicago, Aurora, and Rockford. City-level cost of living data drops in Q3 2026 once BLS releases its metro-area tables for the year. Springfield is the state capital. Until then, the state-level number is the best available read.
Illinois scores 99.958 on the BEA Regional Price Parities index, where the US average is 100. A score above 100 means goods and services cost more than the national average; below 100 means less. RPP covers goods, rents, and other services at the state level.
5 cities ranked by cost of living index by state. Lower is better.
BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), all items, US national reference = 100. Pulled live from BEA API (TableName=SARPP, LineCode=1, year=2024).