Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Illinois
Waukegan is a supplemental starter city profile for the lakefront and commuter affordability market in Illinois, useful for route coverage and starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Illinois
Aurora is the suburban commuter and family market in Illinois, promoted in source-ready batch 01 for comparisons around housing, wages, utilities, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Comparison
Waukegan has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Aurora has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Aurora minus Waukegan.
| Metric | Waukegan | Aurora | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,585 | $1,500 | -$85 | Aurora | Aurora has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $239,865 | $325,000 | +$85,135 | Waukegan | Waukegan has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $196/mo | $185/mo | -$11/mo | Aurora | Aurora has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 104 | 101 | -3 | Aurora | Aurora has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $61,324 | $69,000 | +$7,676 | Waukegan | Waukegan has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 81/100 | 75/100 | -6 | Waukegan | Waukegan has the higher move score. |