You don’t need to be rich or to save up money during the moving process, in order to live in Illinois. Even if you choose to pay for cleaning services or other extra services during your move, you can afford to live here. Illinois, or the Land of Lincoln, as they call it, is one of the most affordable in the US. At least, if you choose one of the cheapest places to live in Illinois for 2020, you’ll be able to have a pretty decent lifestyle with almost all levels of income.
Moving to one of the cheapest places to live in Illinois
If your mind is made up on settling down in this wonderful state, don’t get the wrong idea, that you can afford to live here without almost any income. Just because living here is affordable, it doesn’t mean that it’s free. It means that it’s not that hard to manage living here. Also, it means that you will be able to spend money on fun things. After all, isn’t life all about enjoying these special moments?
Chicagoland or the top 8
Living in Chicagoland might be amazing. So, if you’re considering it, you can find a good company at golansmoving.com and move here. But, if you like smaller places more, you should consider other options. There are places is in Illinois that are much more affordable. In order for a certain place to be considered affordable, good quality of life is required, a low cost of living, and low costs of housing. Having that in mind, you should check out some of these cheapest places to live in Illinois:
- Litchfield
- Clinton
- Pana
- Hoopeston
- Hillsboro
- Du Quoin
- Creve Coeur
- Mendota
Litchfield
Between Springfield and St. Louis, you can find this small place of around 7.000 residents. What’s so surprising is that both rental prices and property prices are quite low. For example, the median rent here is around $520, while the national average is about three times higher. In addition to this, the median home value is around $ 77.000. Also, note that the median household income is around $45.000. So, compare these amount and you get an idea of why this place is the first on this list. And the best of all is that the unemployment rate is lower than 5%.
Clinton
Clinton is located around an hour from Springfield. The median income here is around $47.000. And the median home value is around $ 80.000. But, the unemployment rate is around 9%, so it might be harder to get a job here. So, should you still consider this place? Well, compare it with Glenview, IL, if you’re thinking about moving to Glenview and making it your home. Comparing to Clinton, living in Clinton, Glenview is around 82 % more expensive, and the price of housing is around 438 % higher in Glenview. So, you might want to give Clinton a chance. In addition to being affordable, Clinton has Weldon Springs State Park, a great location for nature lovers.
Pana
First of all, Pana’s got a very low unemployment rate, lower than 2%. And the median income of around $47.000 is not so bad. Especially comparing it to the median home value of around $75.000. It’s located an hour away from Springfield and it’s home to around 5.000 citizens. And if you like a small place with a lake, then this is just the place. So, why save money on reusing old packing supplies, when you can just move here and not worry about money at all?
Hoopeston
It’s two hours away from Chicago and it has around 5.000 citizens. But, even though it’s in fourth place on this list, with around $68.000, it’s got the lowest median home price on the list, except for Du Quoin. With rent being low at around $500, buying a home seems like a good option. Especially considering that the median income is around $42.500.
Hillsboro
With the average home price of around $50.500, it’s not hard to buy a home with a median price of around $80.000. Also, with that income, it’s not hard to pay rent of around $650, even though it’s highest of all the places on this list. And, what a surprise, it’s also around one hour away from Springfield.
Du Quoin
Du Quoin’s got a population of around 5.000 people and it’s located 1.5 hours from St. Louis. It’s got the lowest median home price of around $67.500, even lower than Hoopeston. Also, the rent of around $500 might be the lowest on this list as well. But, on the other hand, the median income is the lowest on the list, being around $38.000. So, because of this reason, it might be smart to buy a home.
Creve Coeur
This place has a population of around 5.500 people and it’s a suburb of Peoria. Just last year, Creve Coeur wasn’t anywhere near the 7th place on the list of the cheapest places to live in Illinois. So what happened in the meanwhile that pushed it all the way up on the list? The main reason is that the difference in home value and income became bigger. So, the median income in Creve Coeur for 2020 is around $47.000 and the median home value is around $81.000.
Mendota
Only 85 miles from Chicago, you’ll find Mendota, a place of around 7.000 people. The median income in the Mendota is around $54.000. However, the median home price of around $109.000, which is the highest home price on this list. The good news is that the median rent is only around $530, which is a good income to rent ratio, definitely. So you might want to consider renting a home before buying one at first, to see if you like living here. And for outdoor activities, you can enjoy Mendota Lake Park.
Choose your new place
You can try to save money during the moving process, for example, by moving off-season, instead of during the best season for moving. Or you can simply choose one of these best cheapest places to live in Illinois for 2020. Visit some of them and see which one you like the most. Finally, you’ll be able to spend your money on activities that will make your life better.