?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Aurora, IL vs Elgin, IL

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Aurora needs about $82,500 in Elgin to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Elgin, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $87,500 in Aurora.

A few differences

Aurora vs Elgin · facet by facet
FacetAurora, ILElgin, IL
Median home price$274,800$273,000
2-bedroom rent$1,608/mo$1,375/mo
Property tax rate2.1%2.1%
State & local income tax4.95%4.95%
Sales tax8.85%8.85%
Cost of living index9794
Groceries index9898
Utilities$165/mo$165/mo
Median household income$93,633$90,282
Unemployment rate4.7%4.7%
Crime index50/10050/100
School rating6.3/106.3/10
Sunny days / year190 days190 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Aurora, IL · Elgin, IL
Questions & answers
Is Aurora cheaper than Elgin?
Elgin has the lower day-to-day cost index (94 vs 97 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Elgin equals $85,000 in Aurora?
A household earning $85,000 in Aurora needs about $82,500 in Elgin to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Elgin lifestyle costs about $87,500 in Aurora.