City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Abilene | Normal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,060/mo | $924/mo | 14.7% higher in A |
| Median home value | $161,800 | $194,400 | 16.8% lower in A |
| Median household income | $59,254 | $63,965 | 7.4% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 95.2 | 94.5 | 0.8% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 85.3 | 90.2 | 5.5% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.5 | 98.8 | 1.3% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 95.8 | 99.4 | 3.7% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Abilene, you'd need $99,851 in Normal to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Abilene and Normal have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 3% lower in Normal than in Abilene. If you earn $80,000 in Abilene, you'd need about $79,881 in Normal to keep the same standard of living.