Mclean County · Illinois · Midwest · 54k residents
Normal, IL: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Normal: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Illinois median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Normal is $213,600, 24% below the Illinois median. A two-bedroom rents for about $987/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 85 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $64,785 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Normal is $213,600, 23.8% below the median for ACS-covered places in Illinois.
- Household income: Median household income is $64,785, 29.7% below the median for ACS-covered places in Illinois.
- Adult education: 52.9% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 36.7% above the median for ACS-covered places in Illinois.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 3.3 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.
- Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Normal about 117 miles from the nearest tracked lake.
- Climate signal: The profile records 190 sunny days and 20 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 34 and an average commute of 29 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Normal side by side
Cost of living index
85
ACS median home value
$213,600
2-bedroom rent
$987/mo
Median household income
$64,785
Housing momentum
How fast Normal's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
30/100
Cooling
Ranks Normal's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Normal's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $213,600 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $175 |
| Property tax rate | 2.1% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $881/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $987/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.95% |
| Sales tax | 8.85% |
| Cost of living index | 85 |
| Groceries index | 98 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $75/mo |
| Gas price | $3.65/gal |
| Healthcare index | 98 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,300/mo |
| Median household income | $64,785 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% |
| Population | 54k |
| Crime index | 50/100 |
| School rating | 6.3/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 87/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 190 days |
| July high | 86°F |
| January low | 16°F |
| Annual snowfall | 20 in |
| Home price YoY | +0.1% |
| Home price MoM | -0.1% |
| Rent YoY | +0.2% |
| Rent MoM | -0.4% |
| Ocean coast | 701 mi |
| Big lake | 117 mi |
| Mountains | 224 mi |
| Major airport | 109 mi |
| Ski resort | 163 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Bloomington, IL · 79k
- Morton, IL · 17k
- Washington, IL · 16k
- East Peoria, IL · 22k
- Pekin, IL · 32k
Similar size
- Wheaton, IL · 54k
- Oak Park, IL · 53k
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- Berwyn, IL · 56k
Real listings in Normal
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Normal, IL?
- Normal indexes at 85 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $987/mo and a acs median home value of $213,600.
- How much does a house cost in Normal?
- The acs median home value in Normal is $213,600, 24% below the Illinois median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Normal?
- A two-bedroom in Normal rents for about $987/mo.