Cost of living in Charleston research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Charleston is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Illinois, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Charleston is 83, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Charleston is 0.8x lower than the national average.
Charleston ranks as the #33 cheapest in Illinois out of 338.
Charleston ranks as the #491 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Charleston is $111,100.
The median income in Charleston is $44,371.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Charleston has an overall cost of living index of 83, which is 0.8x lower than the national index of 100.
Compared to Illinois, Charleston has a cost of living index that's 0.9x lower than Illinois's index of 92.
The standard of living in Charleston ranks as #33 most affordable out of the 338 places we measured in Illinois. By definition, that implies Charleston ranks as the #305 most expensive place in the Prairie State.
For more reading on life in Charleston, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Charleston. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Charleston is 90.
The Groceries index in Charleston is 94.
The Health index in Charleston is 100.
The Housing index in Charleston is 58.
The Transportation index in Charleston is 97.
The Utilities index in Charleston is 99.
Living Expense | Charleston | Illinois | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 83 | 92 | 100 | |
Services | 90 | 95 | 100 | |
Groceries | 94 | 98 | 100 | |
Health | 100 | 96 | 100 | |
Housing | 58 | 81 | 100 | |
Transportation | 97 | 105 | 100 | |
Utilities | 99 | 90 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Illinois, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Charleston is $111,100.
The Median Rent in Charleston is $753.
The Median Income in Charleston is $44,371.
The Home Value To Income in Charleston is 2.5x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Charleston is 0.2x.
Statistic | Charleston | Illinois | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $111,100 | $212,600 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $753 | $1,097 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $44,371 | $72,563 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 2.5x | 2.9x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.2x | 0.18x | 0.2x |
Item | Charleston | Illinois |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.04 | $1.06 |
Movie | $10.0 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $15.0 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $20.83 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $40.11 | $39.05 |
Item | Charleston | Illinois |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $4.26 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.37 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.22 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.94 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $12.39 | $10.62 |
Beer | $8.5 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.63 | $2.34 |
Item | Charleston | Illinois |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $79.14 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $121.67 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $103.67 | $99.13 |
Item | Charleston | Illinois |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.28 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $43.67 | $50.07 |
Item | Charleston | Illinois |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $153.31 | $167.67 |
Phone | $191.29 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Charleston. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Champaign, IL has a cost of living index of 93, 1.1x Charleston.
Urbana, IL has a cost of living index of 91, 1.1x Charleston.
Mattoon, IL has a cost of living index of 78, 0.9x Charleston.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Charleston |
---|---|---|---|
Champaign, IL | 88,343 | 93 | 1.1x |
Urbana, IL | 39,189 | 91 | 1.1x |
Mattoon, IL | 16,982 | 78 | 0.9x |
Effingham, IL | 12,218 | 83 | 1.0x |
Mahomet, IL | 9,297 | 100 | 1.2x |
Savoy, IL | 8,793 | 99 | 1.2x |
Monticello, IL | 6,202 | 94 | 1.1x |
Mount Zion, IL | 6,092 | 87 | 1.0x |
Pana, IL | 5,304 | 76 | 0.9x |