Oak Forest, Illinois Cost Of Living

Buy Rent

C-

Overall 0%

Goods & Services 2%

Housing 2%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2019 and was released from C2ER in January, 2020; 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	Oak Forest	Illinois	National
Cost of living	100	98	100
Goods & Services	98	98	100
Groceries	100	97	100
Health care	110	100	100
Housing	98	95	100
Transportation	117	112	100
Utilities	90	97	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Oak Forest is 2% higher than the Illinois average
The cost of living in Oak Forest is equal to the national average
Oak Forest housing is 2% lower 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

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Oak Forest

See all the best places to live around Oak Forest

Compare Oak Forest, IL Cost of Living

See all Oak Forest poll results

The best places in Illinois

Here are the best places to live in Illinois

Top 10 cities in Illinois with the best education system

Top 10 best public schools in Oak Forest

See the best places to live in & around Oak Forest

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

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	$83,930	$6,994	$1,958	$2,518
Renters	$39,911	$3,326	$931	$1,197

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Oak Forest, IL, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Oak Forest, homeowners have a median income of $83,930. Using that number, a maximum of $1,958 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $39,911, which means there is a maximum of $931 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

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	Oak Forest	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$19.28	$17.49	10.2%
Beauty Salon	$39.33	$38.17	3.0%
Toothpaste	$3.16	$2.32	36.2%
Shampoo	$0.96	$1.01	5.1%
Movie	$10.54	$10.72	1.7%
Bowling	$15.50	$13.86	11.8%

Groceries

Item	Oak Forest	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.96	$3.90	1.5%
Fried Chicken	$1.62	$1.40	16.1%
Milk	$2.16	$1.96	10.1%
Potatoes	$2.93	$3.18	7.9%
Pizza	$10.68	$10.39	2.8%
Beer	$8.26	$9.23	10.5%

Health Care

Item	Oak Forest	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$107.11	$106.34	0.7%
Doctor	$157.40	$115.25	36.6%
Dentist	$103.57	$98.38	5.3%
Ibuprofen	$8.97	$9.26	3.1%
Lipitor	$447.13	$466.47	4.1%

Housing

Item	Oak Forest	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$182,800.00	$184,700.00	1.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,188.17	$1,273.32	6.7%
Apartment Rent	$923.00	$949.00	2.7%

Transportation

Item	Oak Forest	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.10	$2.59	19.7%
Tire Balancing	$56.78	$48.90	16.1%

Utilities

Item	Oak Forest	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$131.81	$167.60	21.4%
Phone	$188.88	$163.42	15.6%

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.
Hodgkins, IL	1,960	87	-13%
Dixmoor, IL	3,614	89	-11%
Ford Heights, IL	2,775	90	-10%
Harvey, IL	25,625	91	-9%
Hometown, IL	4,343	91	-9%
Oak Forest, IL	28,055	100	0%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Carlsbad, NM	28,079	89	-11%
Harrison, NY	28,082	194	94%
Enterprise, AL	28,025	95	-5%
Desert Hot Springs, CA	28,092	102	2%
Central, LA	28,017	100	0%
Oak Forest, IL	28,055	100	0%

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

Oak Forest, IL Cost of Living

Find real estate listings

Find rental listings