?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Waukegan, IL vs Zion, 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 Waukegan needs about $83,000 in Zion to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Zion, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $87,000 in Waukegan.

A few differences

Waukegan vs Zion · facet by facet
FacetWaukegan, ILZion, IL
Median home price$190,900$183,800
2-bedroom rent$1,222/mo$1,189/mo
Property tax rate2.1%2.1%
State & local income tax4.95%4.95%
Sales tax8.85%8.85%
Cost of living index8786
Groceries index9898
Utilities$165/mo$165/mo
Median household income$71,919$63,104
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: Waukegan, IL · Zion, IL
Questions & answers
Is Waukegan cheaper than Zion?
Zion has the lower day-to-day cost index (86 vs 87 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Zion equals $85,000 in Waukegan?
A household earning $85,000 in Waukegan needs about $83,000 in Zion to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Zion lifestyle costs about $87,000 in Waukegan.