Cost of living in Alton 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 Alton 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 Alton is 83, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Alton is 0.8x lower than the national average.
Alton ranks as the #29 cheapest in Illinois out of 336.
Alton ranks as the #306 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Alton is $102,533.
The median income in Alton is $53,005.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Alton has an overall cost of living index of 83, which is 0.8x lower than the national index of 100.
Compared to Illinois, Alton has a cost of living index that's 0.9x lower than Illinois's index of 97.
The standard of living in Alton ranks as #29 most affordable out of the 336 places we measured in Illinois. By definition, that implies Alton ranks as the #307 most expensive place in the Prairie State.
For more reading on life in Alton, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Alton. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Alton is 90.
The Groceries index in Alton is 95.
The Health index in Alton is 89.
The Housing index in Alton is 57.
The Transportation index in Alton is 94.
The Utilities index in Alton is 103.
| Living Expense | Alton | Illinois | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 83 | 97 | 100 | |
| Services | 90 | 95 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 95 | 99 | 100 | |
| Health | 89 | 93 | 100 | |
| Housing | 57 | 95 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 94 | 102 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 103 | 91 | 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 2019-2023. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Alton is $102,533.
The Median Rent in Alton is $948.
The Median Income in Alton is $53,005.
The Home Value To Income in Alton is 1.9x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Alton is 0.21x.
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Alton. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Edwardsville, IL has a cost of living index of 100, 1.2x Alton.
Collinsville, IL has a cost of living index of 89, 1.1x Alton.
Spanish Lake, MO has a cost of living index of 86, 1.0x Alton.
| City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Alton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwardsville, IL | 26,543 | 100 | 1.2x |
| Collinsville, IL | 24,126 | 89 | 1.1x |
| Spanish Lake, MO | 18,183 | 86 | 1.0x |
| Godfrey, IL | 17,743 | 94 | 1.1x |
| Glen Carbon, IL | 13,521 | 102 | 1.2x |
| Troy, IL | 10,889 | 94 | 1.1x |
| Wood River, IL | 10,315 | 83 | 1.0x |
| Bethalto, IL | 9,244 | 89 | 1.1x |
| Maryville, IL | 8,280 | 99 | 1.2x |
| Jerseyville, IL | 7,432 | 84 | 1.0x |