Cost of living in Normal 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 Normal 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 Normal is 101, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Normal is 1.0x higher than the national average.
Normal ranks as the #152 cheapest in Illinois out of 336.
Normal ranks as the #2,735 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Normal is $259,008.
The median income in Normal is $66,350.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Normal has an overall cost of living index of 101, which is 1.0x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Illinois, Normal has a cost of living index that's 1.0x higher than Illinois's index of 98.
The standard of living in Normal ranks as #152 most affordable out of the 336 places we measured in Illinois. By definition, that implies Normal ranks as the #184 most expensive place in the Prairie State.
For more reading on life in Normal, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Normal. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Normal is 108.
The Groceries index in Normal is 99.
The Health index in Normal is 111.
The Housing index in Normal is 93.
The Transportation index in Normal is 100.
The Utilities index in Normal is 86.
| Living Expense | Normal | Illinois | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101 | 98 | 100 | |
| Services | 108 | 95 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 99 | 99 | 100 | |
| Health | 111 | 96 | 100 | |
| Housing | 93 | 94 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 100 | 101 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 86 | 87 | 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 Normal is $259,008.
The Median Rent in Normal is $974.
The Median Income in Normal is $66,350.
The Home Value To Income in Normal is 3.9x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Normal is 0.18x.
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Normal. 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 95, 0.9x Normal.
Bloomington, IL has a cost of living index of 98, 1.0x Normal.
East Peoria, IL has a cost of living index of 90, 0.9x Normal.
| City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champaign, IL | 88,822 | 95 | 0.9x |
| Bloomington, IL | 78,703 | 98 | 1.0x |
| East Peoria, IL | 22,485 | 90 | 0.9x |
| Morton, IL | 16,503 | 96 | 1.0x |
| Washington, IL | 15,946 | 95 | 0.9x |
| Rantoul, IL | 12,515 | 84 | 0.8x |
| Mahomet, IL | 9,755 | 104 | 1.0x |
| Monticello, IL | 6,332 | 99 | 1.0x |
| Chillicothe, IL | 6,185 | 86 | 0.9x |
| Eureka, IL | 5,095 | 89 | 0.9x |