Affordable Living In Illinois: Here Are The 50 Best Cities/Towns

You may not have noticed, but lots of people are looking at ways to save themselves money during this current economy (I'm sure you've noticed, and that you're doing it, too), especially here in Illinois.

One way is to try to cut household expenses as much as you can, and if that doesn't work, maybe you could consider cutting your entire household and moving to someplace that you'll find to be far easier on the wallet than where you currently reside.

A recent study gave a thumbs-up to not one, but 50 different cities and towns in Illinois for being the most affordable places in the state. Before you run out and stick a For Sale sign in your yard, read on to see if maybe you already live in one of those 50 spots.

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For A While, Illinois Residents Were Doing The Most "Outbound Migration" In The Country, Which Is A Fancy Way Of Saying "Heading For The Exits" And Moving Away

While the small tapering off of people heading for Illinois' borders over the last couple of years can be looked at as a good thing, we're still really high on the list of states in the country with people looking to get out. When asked why they've decided to find another state in which to live, most ex-Illinoisans answer with just one word: Taxes.

If you're curious, here are the top 5 states experiencing the most outbound migration:

Illinois is now #5 in the United States when it comes to residents heading for the exits, having lost 344,000 (while gaining 228,000) residents to other states in 2022. The top 4, including the number of residents lost, would be these states:

California (817,700)
New York (545,600)
Texas (494,000)
Florida (489,900)

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So, To Break It Down, You Want To Leave The Too-Expensive Illinois City You Live In, But You Don't Want To Leave The State Itself--Where Do You Go To Find An Affordable Spot In The Land Of Lincoln?

Niche.com recently released their "2023 Places with the Lowest Cost of Living in Illinois" list, and their analysts took a look at multiple factors to come up with their list of the 50 places in Illinois with the overall "cheapest" cost of living. Things like:

Housing
Food costs
Gas costs
Median tax rates

These towns and cities are scattered throughout the state, and to be honest, there are more than a couple of places that I have never even heard of. Here they are in reverse order, according to Niche.com: