Illinois rent guide
Average Rent in Illinois by City (June 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 716 rentals across 75 Illinois cities
Illinois has a wide rent range: expensive Chicago and its North Shore at one end, and some of the cheapest college-town and mid-size-city rents in the Midwest at the other. A one-bedroom statewide runs about $1,660 a month, the median across the 295 one-beds in our data, but that single figure hides the gap between Chicagoland and downstate. We use the median on purpose, and the real story is in the per-city table below.
Studio
$1,799
typical / mo
1 bed
$1,660
typical / mo
2 bed
$2,084
typical / mo
3 bed
$2,893
typical / mo
If the studio median looks high next to the one-bed, that is because studios concentrate in expensive Chicago while most larger units in our data are downstate. Inside any one city the usual order holds, which is why the table is the part that actually helps.
Typical rent by city, lowest first
Sorted by each city’s overall median, so the downstate value markets are up top and Chicago and the North Shore at the bottom. Find yours, then check the one-bed and two-bed columns for the size you’re after.
| # | City | Typical | 1 bed | 2 bed | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeKalb | $815 | - | - | 6 |
| 2 | Rockford | $875 | - | $913 | 5 |
| 3 | Peoria | $971 | $1,070 | - | 18 |
| 4 | Springfield | $1,060 | $990 | - | 7 |
| 5 | Champaign | $1,265 | $1,265 | - | 9 |
| 6 | Elgin | $1,353 | $1,350 | - | 6 |
| 7 | Waukegan | $1,408 | $1,408 | - | 8 |
| 8 | Mount Prospect | $1,539 | $1,518 | - | 5 |
| 9 | Carol Stream | $1,564 | $1,555 | - | 8 |
| 10 | Wheeling | $1,640 | $1,688 | - | 5 |
| 11 | Palatine | $1,650 | $1,650 | - | 6 |
| 12 | Gurnee | $1,665 | - | $1,647 | 5 |
| 13 | Skokie | $1,690 | $1,670 | $1,775 | 14 |
| 14 | Wheaton | $1,695 | $1,495 | - | 5 |
| 15 | Aurora | $1,700 | $1,628 | - | 14 |
| 16 | Schaumburg | $1,744 | $1,800 | - | 10 |
| 17 | Naperville | $1,783 | $1,783 | - | 19 |
| 18 | Des Plaines | $1,800 | $2,320 | - | 7 |
| 19 | Downers Grove | $1,846 | $2,146 | - | 8 |
| 20 | Buffalo Grove | $1,865 | $1,750 | - | 5 |
| 21 | Lombard | $1,873 | $1,845 | - | 14 |
| 22 | Oak Park | $1,903 | $1,920 | $2,425 | 12 |
| 23 | Arlington Heights | $2,029 | $1,603 | $2,084 | 10 |
| 24 | Chicago | $2,095 | $2,000 | $2,685 | 371 |
| 25 | Highland Park | $2,200 | $2,200 | $2,200 | 10 |
| 26 | Crystal Lake | $2,225 | $1,743 | $2,524 | 7 |
| 27 | Evanston | $2,295 | $1,640 | $2,620 | 41 |
How to read these numbers
“Typical” is the median across every unit we track in that city. The per-bedroom columns are the median for that floor plan, shown only once a city has at least three listed. We include cities with five or more live listings and leave out single rooms and senior housing. Everything refreshes when our data does (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
What is the average rent in Illinois?
Across the state the median one-bedroom is about $1,660/mo, studios run ~$1,799, two-beds ~$2,084 and three-beds ~$2,893. We use the median, not the mean, so Chicago's luxury high-rises do not skew it. Even so, that statewide number blends $2,000+ Chicago and North Shore units with sub-$1,000 downstate apartments, so look at your city, not the state.
Why can a studio cost about the same as a one-bedroom in Illinois?
Geography, not size. Studios concentrate in Chicago, where even the smallest unit is expensive, while a large share of the one-bedrooms in our data sit downstate where rents are low. So the statewide studio median (~$1,799) lands at or above the one-bedroom median (~$1,660). Inside any single city a studio is still the cheaper floor plan, which is why the per-city table below matters more than the state averages.
How much is rent in Chicago versus downstate Illinois?
A typical Chicago or North Shore apartment runs roughly double a downstate one. Chicago medians sit around $2,000+, while DeKalb, Rockford, Peoria and Springfield are often $800 to $1,100. Choosing the region first, Chicagoland or downstate, is the single biggest lever on your rent.
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