Cost of living in Cook County, Illinois

Cook County is cheaper than its reputation if you rent, and tougher if you own. Illinois skips state tax on most retirement income, but homeowners here face property tax bills that rank among the highest in the country.

The numbers on this page use a specific household: two adults, $100,000 in annual income, married filing jointly, with ACA subsidies included. On that basis, Cook costs more than the median U.S. county in our model, but less than most big coastal metros.

Rent drives the monthly total. We start with the Census ACS 2023 median for a two-bedroom unit and adjust metro counties using Zillow’s rent index. Health insurance is priced from the second-lowest Silver plan in Cook’s ACA rating area, after advance premium tax credits. Taxes layer Illinois brackets with Chicago’s local wage tax where wage income is taxed in the city.

What’s specific to Illinois

Illinois taxes wages and investment income at a flat 4.95%. Social Security and most private retirement withdrawals do not hit the state return. That split matters if you plan to live on IRA draws or brokerage sales instead of a paycheck.

Cook property taxes are heavy. This page defaults to renting, so the housing row is rent only. If you buy, plan on a housing bill well above the rent figure once mortgage, insurance, and tax are in the mix.

Cook’s ACA rating area usually lists several Silver plans. Subsidies shrink as income rises against the federal poverty line. Close to the subsidy cliff, a modest raise can jump your premium by thousands. Plug your own income into the county map if you are in that band.

Groceries follow USDA’s Moderate-Cost plan, scaled to Illinois prices with BEA regional parities, then adjusted for household size. Sales tax is not stacked on top of the goods row. The tax column is state and local income tax only. Federal income tax is not on this page.