?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Chicago Heights, IL vs Oak Forest, 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 Chicago Heights needs about $89,000 in Oak Forest to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Oak Forest, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $81,000 in Chicago Heights.

A few differences

Chicago Heights vs Oak Forest · facet by facet
FacetChicago Heights, ILOak Forest, IL
Median home price$161,000$255,100
2-bedroom rent$952/mo$1,361/mo
Property tax rate2.1%2.1%
State & local income tax4.95%4.95%
Sales tax8.85%8.85%
Cost of living index8192
Groceries index9898
Utilities$165/mo$165/mo
Median household income$54,798$91,990
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: Chicago Heights, IL · Oak Forest, IL
Questions & answers
Is Chicago Heights cheaper than Oak Forest?
Chicago Heights has the lower day-to-day cost index (81 vs 92 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Oak Forest equals $85,000 in Chicago Heights?
A household earning $85,000 in Chicago Heights needs about $89,000 in Oak Forest to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Oak Forest lifestyle costs about $81,000 in Chicago Heights.