The 61265 zip code in Moline tops our ranking of the most affordable places to live in Illinois.
We looked at 354 zip codes in the state, evaluating home values, rental costs, energy rates, property taxes, and five other affordability indicators. We used the data we gathered to calculate our proprietary Affordability Score for each zip code.
Top 10 most affordable places to live in Illinois
| Rank | City | Affordability Score | Median home value | Rental costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moline 🥇 | 100.0 | $144,193 | $969 |
| 2 | Danville 🥈 | 99.8 | $61,518 | $868 |
| 3 | Jacksonville 🥉 | 99.6 | $136,111 | $888 |
| 4 | Rock Island | 95.8 | $122,228 | $1,107 |
| 5 | Quincy | 95.4 | $136,374 | $995 |
| 6 | Wood River | 95.2 | $126,589 | $1,033 |
| 7 | Rock Falls | 94.8 | $114,890 | $850 |
| 8 | Alton | 94.2 | $116,972 | $1,130 |
| 9 | Carterville | 94.1 | $192,309 | $958 |
| 10 | Belleville | 93.2 | $151,072 | $1,075 |
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1. Moline
Here's why the 61265 zip code in Moline is Illinois's most affordable place to live.
🔎 Key data about Moline
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 100.0 | No. 1 | N/A |
| Median home value | $144,193[1] | No. 52 | -$186,833.44 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.2 | No. 38 | -1.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 20.8%[2] | No. 40 | -8.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.0%[3] | No. 11 | -1.7% |
| Rental costs | $969[4] | No. 8 | -$880 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.45% | No. 17 | -0.6% |
| Median household income | $66,933[5] | No. 257 | -$24,107 |
| Property taxes | $3,231[6] | No. 71 | -$2,748 |
| Energy costs | $0.07 kWh[7] | No. 1 | -$0.04 |
Moline's 61265 zip code is the cheapest place to live in Illinois, leading the 354 markets we evaluated.
The median home value is $144,193, making it the 52nd-cheapest housing market in the state. Forecasts project a -1.0% change in home values in the next year. Rent in the zip code averages $969 per month, which is the 17th cheapest amount in Illinois.
The median property tax for homeowners in Moline is $3,231 per household, the No. 71 ranked market in Illinois.
Residents pay $0.07 per kWh of electricity, which ranks No. 1 among Illinois markets.
2. Danville
The 61832 zip code is the 2nd-cheapest place to live in Illinois.
🔎 Key data about Danville
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 99.8 | No. 2 | N/A |
| Median home value | $61,518[8] | No. 4 | -$269,508.41 |
| Home affordability ratio | 1.3 | No. 1 | -2.3 |
| Home value five-year change | 6.7%[9] | No. 10 | -22.7% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.2%[10] | No. 4 | -1.9% |
| Rental costs | $868[11] | No. 4 | -$981 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.83% | No. 71 | -0.2% |
| Median household income | $47,332[12] | No. 333 | -$43,708 |
| Property taxes | $1,611[13] | No. 8 | -$4,368 |
| Energy costs | $0.14 kWh[14] | No. 339 | $0.02 |
Danville's 61832 zip code has a median home value of $61,518, which is the 4th-cheapest housing market in Illinois. You can rent for an average of $868 per month. That's the 4th-cheapest price in the state.
The average household income in the zip code is $47,332, which ranks 333rd-highest in the state.
Homeowners in Danville pay a median property tax of $1,611 per year, making it the 8th-most affordable market in Illinois.
Danville ranks No. 339 among Illinois energy markets. You'll pay $0.14 per kWh of electricity.
3. Jacksonville
The 3rd-cheapest place to live in Illinois is Jacksonville's 62650 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Jacksonville
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 99.6 | No. 3 | N/A |
| Median home value | $136,111[15] | No. 43 | -$194,916.02 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.1 | No. 31 | -1.6 |
| Home value five-year change | 24.3%[16] | No. 61 | -5.1% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -2.0%[17] | No. 2 | -2.7% |
| Rental costs | $888[18] | No. 5 | -$961 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.35% | No. 6 | -0.7% |
| Median household income | $65,762[19] | No. 266 | -$25,278 |
| Property taxes | $2,537[20] | No. 42 | -$3,442 |
| Energy costs | $0.14 kWh[21] | No. 345 | $0.02 |
The No. 43 cheapest housing market in Illinois is Jacksonville's 62650 zip code, with a median home value of $136,111. Rents in the market average $888 per month, making it the 5th-most affordable rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Jacksonville is $2,537, which makes it the 42nd-cheapest place in Illinois. Jacksonville ranks No. 345 among Illinois markets by energy costs. Residents pay $0.14 per kWh of electricity.
4. Rock Island
The 61201 zip code in Rock Island comes in at No. 4 on our list of the cheapest places to live in Illinois.
🔎 Key data about Rock Island
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 95.8 | No. 4 | N/A |
| Median home value | $122,228[22] | No. 33 | -$208,798.84 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.1 | No. 29 | -1.6 |
| Home value five-year change | 17.8%[23] | No. 28 | -11.6% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.0%[24] | No. 11 | -1.7% |
| Rental costs | $1,107[25] | No. 24 | -$742 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.86% | No. 82 | -0.2% |
| Median household income | $59,396[26] | No. 300 | -$31,644 |
| Property taxes | $2,972[27] | No. 61 | -$3,007 |
| Energy costs | $0.07 kWh[28] | No. 1 | -$0.04 |
The No. 33 cheapest housing market in Illinois is Rock Island's 61201 zip code, where the median home value is $122,228. Renters here pay an average of $1,107 per month.
When it comes to energy costs, Rock Island ranks 1st among Illinois markets. Residents pay $0.07 per kWh of electricity.
The median property tax for households in the zip code is $2,972, which makes it the 61st-cheapest market in Illinois.
5. Quincy
The 62301 zip code in Quincy ranks No. 5 among Illinois's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Quincy
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 95.4 | No. 5 | N/A |
| Median home value | $136,374[29] | No. 44 | -$194,652.54 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.6 | No. 71 | -1.0 |
| Home value five-year change | 4.1%[30] | No. 3 | -25.3% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.1%[31] | No. 7 | -1.8% |
| Rental costs | $995[32] | No. 11 | -$854 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.91% | No. 88 | -0.1% |
| Median household income | $52,055[33] | No. 319 | -$38,985 |
| Property taxes | $1,999[34] | No. 21 | -$3,980 |
| Energy costs | $0.12 kWh[35] | No. 253 | $0.00 |
Quincy's 62301 zip code has a median home value of $136,374, the 44th-cheapest market in the state. Forecasts project a -1.1% change in home values in the next year.
The median property tax per household in Quincy is $1,999. It's the 21st-cheapest market by tax rate in Illinois.
6. Wood River
The No. 6 most affordable place to live in Illinois is the 62095 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Wood River
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 95.2 | No. 6 | N/A |
| Median home value | $126,589[36] | No. 39 | -$204,437.46 |
| Home affordability ratio | 1.9 | No. 19 | -1.7 |
| Home value five-year change | 27.3%[37] | No. 81 | -2.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 0.3%[38] | No. 31 | -0.4% |
| Rental costs | $1,033[39] | No. 15 | -$815 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.59% | No. 31 | -0.4% |
| Median household income | $65,013[40] | No. 269 | -$26,027 |
| Property taxes | $2,178[41] | No. 30 | -$3,801 |
| Energy costs | $0.12 kWh[42] | No. 253 | $0.00 |
The back half of our top 10 kicks off with Wood River's 62095 zip code, which has the 39th-cheapest home values in Illinois. The median home value is $126,589. Rents average $1,033 per month, making it the 15th-most affordable rental market in the state.
Residents pay $0.12 per kWh of electricity. It's the 253rd-cheapest energy market.
7. Rock Falls
Rock Falls's 61071 zip code is the 7th-cheapest place to live in Illinois.
🔎 Key data about Rock Falls
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 94.8 | No. 7 | N/A |
| Median home value | $114,890[43] | No. 25 | -$216,136.62 |
| Home affordability ratio | 1.9 | No. 16 | -1.7 |
| Home value five-year change | 35.5%[44] | No. 200 | 6.1% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.6%[45] | No. 19 | -1.3% |
| Rental costs | $850[46] | No. 3 | -$999 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.40% | No. 12 | -0.6% |
| Median household income | $60,508[47] | No. 295 | -$30,532 |
| Property taxes | $2,396[48] | No. 39 | -$3,583 |
| Energy costs | $0.12 kWh[49] | No. 6 | $0.00 |
You'll find the 25th-cheapest home values in Illinois in Rock Falls's 61071 zip code. The median value: $114,890. Renters in Rock Falls pay an average of $850 per month.
Homeowners in Rock Falls pay a median property tax of $2,396 per year, which is Illinois's 39th-most affordable market.
The average household income is $60,508, which ranks 295th-highest in the state.
8. Alton
The 8th-cheapest place to live in Illinois is Alton's 62002 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Alton
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 94.2 | No. 8 | N/A |
| Median home value | $116,972[50] | No. 27 | -$214,055.02 |
| Home affordability ratio | 1.9 | No. 17 | -1.7 |
| Home value five-year change | 16.9%[51] | No. 26 | -12.4% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 0.3%[52] | No. 31 | -0.4% |
| Rental costs | $1,130[53] | No. 28 | -$719 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.84% | No. 73 | -0.2% |
| Median household income | $61,414[54] | No. 287 | -$29,626 |
| Property taxes | $2,324[55] | No. 37 | -$3,655 |
| Energy costs | $0.12 kWh[56] | No. 301 | $0.01 |
The 27th-cheapest housing market in Illinois is Alton's 62002 zip code, with a median home value of $116,972. Renters pay an average of $1,130 per month, the No. 28 rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Alton is $2,324, which makes it the 37th-cheapest place in Illinois. The average household income of $61,414 ranks 287th.
9. Carterville
Carterville's 62918 zip code sneaks into the top ten of Illinois's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Carterville
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 94.1 | No. 9 | N/A |
| Median home value | $192,309[57] | No. 87 | -$138,718.06 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.7 | No. 82 | -0.9 |
| Home value five-year change | 27.2%[58] | No. 79 | -2.1% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.1%[59] | No. 7 | -1.8% |
| Rental costs | $958[60] | No. 7 | -$890 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.35% | No. 7 | -0.7% |
| Median household income | $70,920[61] | No. 238 | -$20,120 |
| Property taxes | $3,493[62] | No. 81 | -$2,486 |
| Energy costs | $0.13 kWh[63] | No. 326 | $0.01 |
The 87th-cheapest housing market in Illinois is Carterville's 62918 zip code, where the median home value is $192,309. Renters pay an average of $958 per month. It's the state's 7th-cheapest rental market.
The median property tax for households within the zip code is $3,493, which makes it the 81st-cheapest property tax rate in Illinois.
10. Belleville
The final spot on our list of the most affordable places to live in Illinois goes to the 62220 zip code in Belleville.
🔎 Key data about Belleville
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 354 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 93.2 | No. 10 | N/A |
| Median home value | $151,072[64] | No. 59 | -$179,954.50 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.3 | No. 48 | -1.3 |
| Home value five-year change | 24.1%[65] | No. 59 | -5.2% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 0.3%[66] | No. 31 | -0.4% |
| Rental costs | $1,075[67] | No. 20 | -$774 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.63% | No. 36 | -0.4% |
| Median household income | $65,952[68] | No. 265 | -$25,088 |
| Property taxes | $3,069[69] | No. 67 | -$2,910 |
| Energy costs | $0.12 kWh[70] | No. 253 | $0.00 |
The 59th-most affordable market in Illinois is Belleville's 62220 zip code. The median home value is $151,072. Rent in the market costs $1,075 per month on average, making it the 20th-most affordable rental market in Illinois.
The median property tax for households in Belleville is $3,069, which is the 67th-cheapest property tax rate in the state.
Belleville ranks No. 253 among Illinois markets by energy costs, with households paying $0.12 per kWh of electricity.
How we ranked the most affordable places in Illinois
We evaluated 354 zip codes in Illinois with a population over 10,000 on nine metrics. We then assigned each market an Affordability Score based on its weighted and combined rankings.
Our proprietary Affordability Score is a score on a scale of 0 (worst in state) to 100 (best in state) that estimates the affordability of a particular zip code. It takes into account these key data points for each zip code.
- Median home value: The median home value for each zip code comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. The lower the median home value relative to the median value in Illinois, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 13.0% to median home value.
- Home affordability ratio. The home affordability ratio is the typical median home value divided by the median household income in the zip code, which reveals the number of years of household income needed to afford a home in that zip code. A lower ratio is better because it means more households can afford a home. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 28.0% to the home affordability ratio.
- Home value five-year change: The home value five-year change is the amount that the median home value in the zip code has risen or fallen during the last five years. Our data comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. We assign a weight of 10.0% to the home value five-year change.
- Home value one-year forecast: The home value one-year forecast comes from Zillow Forecast data. It projects how much home values in the zip code are forecasted to change in the next year. We assign a weight of 8.0% to the home value one-year forecast.
- Rental costs. The rental costs are the observed rents in the zip code, sourced from the Zillow Observed Rent Index. The index includes "listed rents that fall into the 40th to 60th percentile range for all homes and apartments in a given region." We assign a weight of 7.0% to rental costs.
- Median household income: The inflation-adjusted median household income figures for the zip code comes from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 5.0% to median household income.
- Rent affordability ratio. The rent affordability ratio is the ratio of rental costs divided by median household income, which provides the percentage of household income needed to pay a typical month’s rent in the zip code. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 17.0% to the rent affordability ratio.
- Property taxes: The property tax figures are the median real estate taxes paid in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The lower the property tax rate relative to the Illinois average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 8.0% to property taxes.
- Energy costs: The energy costs are the costs of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of residential electricity in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Department of Energy. The lower the cost of electricity relative to the Illinois average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 4.0% to energy costs.
✍️ Editor’s note: Our Affordability Score identifies the most affordable places in a state by zip code. Often the zip code we identify will represent an entire city or portion of a city.
Occasionally the zip code we identify will encompass an area that includes one or more small towns. In these cases, the data we’ve gathered applies to the entire zip code, not just the single town we’re using to help identify the zip code's location.
If you’re looking to move to one of these affordable places, we recommend doing additional research to make sure the costs in the area — and the quality of life it offers — meet your specific needs.
