2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Elgin, IL vs Columbus, OH

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Columbus or is it cheaper to live in Elgin?
- Columbus is 4.2% less expensive than Elgin.

Which city has more affordable housing, Columbus or Elgin?
- Columbus housing costs are 12.2% less expensive than Elgin housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Elgin or is Health Care more affordable in Columbus.
- Health related expenses are 3.5% less in Columbus.
 Elgin, ILColumbus, OHUnited States
 Overall  Unlock91.4100
 Food & Groceries96.3  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock89.5100
 Housing80.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$220,100$338,100
 Utilities99  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock90.1100
 Miscellaneous138.6  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Elgin    9 Reviews

When I first moved to Elgin 2 years ago I did not like it. I lived in a mobile home park near the river and highway 90 in a senior community that over prices it's lot  More

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Hi, as a way of updating the post for Elgin and providing a rebuttal for some of the negative reviews, I've decided to post on this board. I've lived in Elgin since  More

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Over 15 years ago

I have lived in Elgin my whole life and it is very sad to read these comments about my town.... I'm a senior at South Elgin High School and I will be graduating this  More

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Reviews for Columbus    156 Reviews

Ellenore · 
Over 2 years ago

I've lived here for my whole life! Awesome place to  More

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We lived in Columbus from 2014-2022, originally from Denver work has taken us to Charlotte, NC, Austin and Atlanta for perspective. One of our biggest reasons for  More

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Over 3 years ago

The city has nice areas and old/ugly areas that look like the remains of a civil war. The nice areas are pretty. Traffic isn't bad compared to Cali but the summer  More

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