What's a healthy ratio in Illinois?

Under 3.0 is considered affordable; 3.0-4.0 moderate; 4.0-5.0 seriously unaffordable; over 5.0 severely unaffordable.

Does this account for interest rates?

No, price-to-income is rate-agnostic so it stays comparable across cycles.

What if my income is higher?

Your personal ratio matters more than the market median. Use it as a relative comparison.

Buyer authority IL

Most affordable cities for home buyers in Illinois.

Affordability = how many years of household income buys the median home. This ranks Illinois cities by price-to-income ratio (lower = more affordable).

Last updated November 2026

Illinois ranking

50 cities ranked. Click any row for the matching local page.

#	City	Price-to-income ratio	Score
1	Winnetka	2.1x income	99	View →
2	Glencoe	2.0x income	99	View →
3	Lake Forest	2.1x income	98	View →
4	Hinsdale	2.1x income	98	View →
5	Western Springs	2.4x income	94	View →
6	River Forest	2.4x income	93	View →
7	Wilmette	2.5x income	92	View →
8	Barrington	2.6x income	91	View →
9	Oak Brook	2.5x income	91	View →
10	Highland Park	2.6x income	90	View →
11	Deerfield	2.6x income	90	View →
12	Lincolnshire	2.6x income	90	View →
13	Clarendon Hills	2.6x income	89	View →
14	Lake Bluff	2.7x income	89	View →
15	Lake Zurich	2.7x income	88	View →
16	Libertyville	2.7x income	88	View →
17	Flossmoor	2.8x income	87	View →
18	Lincolnwood	2.9x income	86	View →
19	Sugar Grove	2.8x income	86	View →
20	Northbrook	2.9x income	85	View →
21	Winfield	2.9x income	85	View →
22	Dunlap	2.9x income	85	View →
23	Glenview	3.0x income	84	View →
24	Lemont	3.0x income	84	View →
25	Elburn	3.0x income	84	View →
26	Saint Charles	3.0x income	83	View →
27	Willowbrook	3.0x income	83	View →
28	Mokena	3.0x income	83	View →
29	Wadsworth	3.0x income	83	View →
30	Evanston	3.1x income	82	View →
31	Glen Ellyn	3.1x income	82	View →
32	Geneva	3.1x income	82	View →
33	Elmhurst	3.1x income	81	View →
34	Homer Glen	3.1x income	81	View →
35	Palos Park	3.1x income	81	View →
36	Naperville	3.2x income	80	View →
37	Wheaton	3.2x income	80	View →
38	Frankfort	3.2x income	80	View →
39	Darien	3.2x income	80	View →
40	Crystal Lake	3.3x income	79	View →
41	Park Ridge	3.2x income	79	View →
42	Vernon Hills	3.2x income	79	View →
43	Yorkville	3.3x income	79	View →
44	Dundee	3.3x income	79	View →
45	Palos Heights	3.3x income	79	View →
46	Spring Grove	3.3x income	79	View →
47	Maryville	3.2x income	79	View →
48	Downers Grove	3.3x income	78	View →
49	Buffalo Grove	3.3x income	78	View →
50	Algonquin	3.3x income	78	View →

Methodology

Ratio = estimated home value ÷ average household income (Census ACS). Demographia bands (under 3.0 affordable, over 5.0 severely unaffordable) are designed around medians, so treat these as directional. Cities whose true median home value likely exceeds the dataset's modeled value (e.g. SF Bay, Manhattan) are flagged in their state pages.

FAQ

What's a healthy ratio in Illinois?: Under 3.0 is considered affordable; 3.0-4.0 moderate; 4.0-5.0 seriously unaffordable; over 5.0 severely unaffordable.
Does this account for interest rates?: No, price-to-income is rate-agnostic so it stays comparable across cycles.
What if my income is higher?: Your personal ratio matters more than the market median. Use it as a relative comparison.