Charleston, IL Cost Of Living

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Charleston cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Charleston	Illinois	National
Cost of living index	83	98	100
Index	Charleston	Illinois	National
Goods & Services index	89	98	100
Groceries index	91	97	100
Health care index	101	100	100
Housing index	57	95	100
Transportation index	105	112	100
Utilities index	108	97	100

Displayed above is a general overview of the Charleston, IL cost of living index. The overall cost of living index in Charleston, IL is 83, which is 15% lower than the Illinois average and 17% lower than the national average. The cost of living index is created from the following categories: goods/services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). As you can see, goods/services and housing make up the majority of the overall cost of living index. Everyday goods and services can be a good indicator of the general cost of goods in a given city. In this case, the goods and services in Charleston, IL are 9% lower than the Illinois average and 11% lower than the national average.

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Did you know?

The cost of living in Charleston is 15% lower than the Illinois average.
The cost of living in Charleston is 17% lower than the national average.
The cost of housing in Charleston is 43% lower than the national average.
Illinois general sales tax is 23% higher than the national average.
Illinois state income tax is 123% higher than the national average.

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Salary Calculator

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Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Using the salary calculator lets you compare the salary you earn in Charleston, IL to what it is in other cities. It will let you know what your earnings would have to be in another city to have the same standard of living, as determined by the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the area you want to move to is higher than the cost of living in Charleston, IL, you have to earn a higher income in order to still have the same standard of living. To operate the Charleston, IL salary calculator, put in the name of the other city, then move the slider to the point that represents the current income. The salary calculator will take care of the rest and tell you how much more or less you must earn in the new city. A Total breakdown of the cost of living is also provided.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$58,446	$4,871	$1,364	$1,754
Renters	$16,786	$1,399	$392	$504

The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in Charleston, IL as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for Charleston, IL homeowners, is $58,446. This would allow for a maximum of $1,364 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $16,786 which would result in a maximum of $392 to be spent on rental costs.

Illinois Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Illinois	6.25%	10.25%

Illinois Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Illinois	4.95%	4.95%

The Illinois sales tax and Illinois income tax rates should definitely be considered when determining the overall cost of living in Charleston, IL. Sales taxes are taxes that are imposed onto goods and services sold. Sales taxes do vary by state and can range from no tax at all to upwards of 7%. The Illinois sales tax is 6.25% and the maximum surtax is 10.25%. Income tax is the tax imposed on income by the government. The income tax rates will vary by state and will also increase or decrease depending on the corresponding tax bracket. State income tax rates can range from anywhere from no tax at all to more than 9%. The Illinois income tax rates range from 4.95% to 4.95%.

Goods & Services

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$20.00	$17.49	14.4%
Beauty Salon	$44.33	$38.17	16.1%
Toothpaste	$2.16	$2.32	6.9%
Shampoo	$0.93	$1.01	8.1%
Movie	$10.00	$10.72	6.8%
Bowling	$14.33	$13.86	3.4%

Groceries

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.60	$3.90	7.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.24	$1.40	11.2%
Milk	$1.84	$1.96	6.2%
Potatoes	$3.22	$3.18	1.2%
Pizza	$12.58	$10.39	21.0%
Beer	$8.31	$9.23	10.0%

Health Care

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$78.80	$106.34	25.9%
Doctor	$120.00	$115.25	4.1%
Dentist	$101.00	$98.38	2.7%
Ibuprofen	$9.76	$9.26	5.4%
Lipitor	$487.38	$466.47	4.5%

Housing

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$95,300.00	$184,700.00	48.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$979.79	$1,273.32	23.1%
Apartment Rent	$652.00	$949.00	31.3%

Transportation

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.86	$2.59	10.3%
Tire Balancing	$48.00	$48.90	1.8%

Utilities

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$186.40	$167.60	11.2%
Phone	$188.52	$163.42	15.4%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Kansas, IL	652	76	-24%
Hindsboro, IL	349	79	-21%
Toledo, IL	1,372	79	-21%
Lerna, IL	272	79	-21%
Casey, IL	2,561	80	-20%
Charleston, IL	21,257	83	-17%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Winter Gardens, CA	21,255	130	30%
Orchards, WA	21,249	114	14%
Hutto, TX	21,241	95	-5%
Fort Walton Beach, FL	21,238	97	-3%
Marquette, MI	21,282	91	-9%
Charleston, IL	21,257	83	-17%

Source: The Charleston, IL cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2019.

Charleston, IL Cost of Living