Illinois rent guide
How to Find the Cheapest Place to Rent in Illinois (June 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 716 rentals across 75 Illinois cities
In Illinois the cheap rent is almost entirely a question of distance from Chicago. The statewide typical rent is about $1,807/mo, but you can do far better than that downstate, where the college towns and mid-size cities run a fraction of the city and its North Shore. Below are the markets where your budget goes furthest right now, straight from live listings, plus five concrete ways to pay less.
Illinois’s value markets right now
The cheapest cities by typical rent, cheapest first. Click any city to browse and sort by price.
| # | City | Typical | From | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeKalb | $815 | $800 | 6 |
| 2 | Rockford | $875 | $825 | 5 |
| 3 | Peoria | $971 | $809 | 18 |
| 4 | Springfield | $1,060 | $860 | 7 |
| 5 | Champaign | $1,265 | $814 | 9 |
| 6 | Elgin | $1,353 | $1,025 | 6 |
| 7 | Waukegan | $1,408 | $1,040 | 8 |
| 8 | Mount Prospect | $1,539 | $1,465 | 5 |
| 9 | Carol Stream | $1,564 | $1,075 | 8 |
| 10 | Wheeling | $1,640 | $1,500 | 5 |
Five ways to pay less for rent in Illinois
- 1
Go downstate or to a college town
DeKalb, Champaign-Urbana, Rockford, Peoria and Springfield are a fraction of Chicago. If your job or school is downstate (or remote), this is the single biggest lever on your rent.
- 2
In Chicagoland, ride the Metra out
The outer collar suburbs and Metra commuter towns cost far less than the city core and the North Shore (Evanston, Highland Park), while still connecting downtown by train.
- 3
Filter to the floor plan you actually need
Studios cluster in pricey Chicago, so a one-bedroom downstate or in an outer suburb can cost the same or less. Always compare within a city, not against the statewide average.
- 4
Sort by the "from" price, not the median
The cheapest unit in a building is often hundreds below the city median. Sort low-to-high and check the specific building before you judge a town.
- 5
Time it and watch concessions
Winter is the soft season for Chicago-area rentals, and many buildings post a free-month or reduced-deposit concession. Save listings and check back so you catch them.
Rankings rebuild from live listings (cities with at least five, no single rooms or senior housing), so they move with the market. Last updated Jun 9, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest place to rent in Illinois?
Right now the lowest typical rents are in DeKalb (~$815/mo), Rockford and Peoria. As a rule the cheapest places are downstate: the college towns (DeKalb, Champaign-Urbana) and the mid-size cities (Rockford, Peoria, Springfield), all far below Chicago and its North Shore.
How can I rent near Chicago without paying city or North Shore prices?
Move out along the Metra lines. The outer collar suburbs and commuter towns are well below Chicago proper and the North Shore (Evanston, Highland Park), while still putting you on a train downtown. The closer to the lakefront and the North Shore you insist on being, the more you pay, so trade a longer ride for hundreds off your rent.
Are Illinois college towns a good deal for renters?
Some of the best we track. DeKalb (Northern Illinois) and Champaign-Urbana (University of Illinois) have large purpose-built rental markets and low rents, often half of Chicago. If you are a student, remote, or work nearby, they are among the cheapest places to rent in the whole country.
How do I actually find the cheapest unit, not just the cheapest city?
Pick a couple of value markets from the list below, open the city page, filter to your bedroom count, and sort by price. The single cheapest unit in a town is often hundreds below its median, so the specific building matters as much as the city. Saving listings and watching them for a week also catches concession deals as they post.
More rent guides
Illinois · Rankings
The Cheapest Cities to Rent in Illinois
Every Illinois city ranked by entry and median rent, from deep-value downstate markets like DeKalb, Rockford, Peoria and Springfield to pricey Chicago and its North Shore and collar suburbs.
Illinois · Rent data
Average Rent in Illinois by City
What renters actually pay in Illinois: median rent in every city we track, by bedroom. Downstate and the college towns are the value, Chicago and the North Shore the splurge.
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Every California city ranked by entry-level and median rent, straight from live listings, no estimates.
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The Cheapest 1-Bedroom Apartments in California
Where one-beds cost the least right now: cities ranked by entry price and median 1-bed rent, plus how to land one.
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