Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Elmhurst's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Elmhurst?
Your $100,000 in Elmhurst has the same purchasing power as $94,286 in the average US city. You'd need $5,714 more 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 Elmhurst's cost index of 106, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Elmhurst usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: above-average earnings, not just for a few people, among the safer us cities of its size, plus 2 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Median household income in Elmhurst is $143,492 — well above the US median of roughly $75k. It's a city where high-paying industries (tech, finance, professional services) cluster, and the income distribution tilts noticeably upward relative to most of the country.
Elmhurst reports roughly 93 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
Elmhurst's Walk Score is 83/100 — 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.
64% of adults 25 and over in Elmhurst 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 Elmhurst'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.
Elmhurst 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 Elmhurst 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 Elmhurst 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. Elmhurst'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.
Elmhurst is at about 712 feet (217 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
By the numbers, yes. Elmhurst reports roughly 93 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Roughly average. Elmhurst's cost-of-living index is 106, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Yes — Elmhurst is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 83/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Transit Score is 35 out of 100. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $74,242 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 Elmhurst runs about $1,843/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.