Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Champaign's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Champaign?
Your $100,000 in Champaign has the same purchasing power as $115,768 in the average US city. You'd need $15,768 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Champaign's cost index of 86, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Champaign usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: living costs come in under the us baseline, on the calmer side of the national distribution, plus 5 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Champaign sits at 86 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 14% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $1,056/mo against a typical household income of $58,273, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Champaign reports about 2,592 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Champaign's Walk Score is 82/100 — top-tier walkability by US standards. Groceries, coffee, work, social life: most of it lands within reasonable foot range of wherever you live. A lot of residents skip car ownership entirely, which is its own form of savings on top of the lifestyle change.
Champaign's Bike Score is 70/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
Champaign's air quality index averages about 41 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Champaign is about 15 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
52% of adults 25 and over in Champaign hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Champaign's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Champaign does winter the real way. Averages around 22°F keep snow on the ground for weeks at a time, and lakes and rivers tend to freeze hard enough to walk on.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Champaign averages roughly 22°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Champaign runs about 82°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Zone 7, give or take a half-zone. Champaign's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 7 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Champaign is at about 784 feet (239 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Champaign's reported crime rate of about 2,592 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Champaign's composite cost-of-living index is 86, roughly 14% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Yes — Champaign is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 82/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Transit Score is 46 out of 100. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $60,466 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Champaign runs about $1,056/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.