Evanston, Illinois Cost Of Living

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Overall 28%

Goods & Services 13%

Housing 75%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Evanston	Illinois	National
Cost of living	128	97	100
Goods & Services	113	96	100
Groceries	104	97	100
Health care	98	98	100
Housing	175	95	100
Transportation	119	104	100
Utilities	91	96	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Evanston is 32% higher than the Illinois average
The cost of living in Evanston is 28% higher than the national average
Evanston housing is 75% higher than the national average
Illinois general sales tax is 23% higher than the national average
Illinois state income tax is 101% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

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

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$105,439	$8,787	$2,460	$3,163
Renters	$43,124	$3,594	$1,006	$1,294

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Evanston, IL, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Evanston have a median income of $105,439. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $2,460 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $43,124, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $1,006.

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%

Goods & Services

Item	Evanston	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$34.95	$20.27	72.4%
Beauty Salon	$59.38	$40.39	47.0%
Toothpaste	$2.43	$2.36	2.9%
Shampoo	$1.06	$1.08	1.7%
Movie	$14.42	$10.99	31.3%
Bowling	$20.01	$15.49	29.2%

Groceries

Item	Evanston	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.23	$4.30	21.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.85	$1.40	31.9%
Milk	$2.26	$2.20	2.6%
Potatoes	$2.75	$3.22	14.7%
Pizza	$13.02	$10.74	21.2%
Beer	$9.67	$9.60	0.8%

Health Care

Item	Evanston	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$97.30	$109.73	11.3%
Doctor	$105.52	$118.34	10.8%
Dentist	$102.17	$100.94	1.2%
Ibuprofen	$9.99	$9.93	0.6%
Lipitor	$494.12	$469.53	5.2%

Housing

Item	Evanston	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$356,600.00	$184,700.00	93.1%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,777.54	$1,229.62	44.6%
Apartment Rent	$1,246.00	$949.00	31.3%

Transportation

Item	Evanston	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.39	$2.71	24.9%
Tire Balancing	$57.48	$51.86	10.8%

Utilities

Item	Evanston	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$129.38	$170.84	24.3%
Phone	$206.73	$187.18	10.4%

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	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Cicero, IL	83,972	99	1.4%
Bellwood, IL	19,146	99	0.9%
Maywood, IL	24,029	100	0.3%
Stone Park, IL	4,936	100	0.2%
Broadview, IL	7,915	100	0.1%
Evanston, IL	75,472	128	28.2%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Auburn, WA	75,607	127	27.0%
Baytown, TX	75,310	89	11.2%
Albany, GA	75,657	86	13.8%
Arlington Heights, IL	75,721	124	24.0%
Pharr, TX	75,172	75	25.3%
Evanston, IL	75,472	128	28.2%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.