Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Evanston's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Evanston?
Your $100,000 in Evanston has the same purchasing power as $94,868 in the average US city. You'd need $5,132 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 Evanston's cost index of 105, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Evanston usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: a higher-income labor market than the national norm, on the calmer side of the national distribution, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Median household income in Evanston is $93,188, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
Evanston reports about 2,625 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.
Evanston's Walk Score is 80/100 — 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. Transit Score comes in at 58/100 too, so even the trips that are too far to walk are usually doable on a bus or train.
Evanston's Bike Score is 92/100 — 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.
69% of adults 25 and over in Evanston 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 Evanston'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.
Evanston 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 Evanston 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 Evanston 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. Evanston'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.
Evanston is at about 610 feet (186 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. Evanston's reported crime rate of about 2,625 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.
Roughly average. Evanston's cost-of-living index is 105, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Yes — Evanston is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 80/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Transit Score is 58 out of 100. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $73,787 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 Evanston runs about $1,625/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.