2025 Compare Cities Overview:
Lake Forest, IL vs Champaign, IL

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Highlights
Are people in Champaign older or younger than people in Lake Forest?
- The Median Age in Champaign is 19.5 years younger than in Lake Forest.

Are housing costs cheaper in Champaign or Lake Forest?
- Champaign housing costs are 78.8% less expensive than Lake Forest housing costs.

Which city has a longer commute, Champaign or Lake Forest?
- The average commute for residents of Champaign is 15.5 minutes shorter than it is for residents of Lake Forest.

Things to do in Lake Forest?
Lake Forest, Illinois is a vibrant city located in Lake County. With its many shops and restaurants, it’s the perfect destination for those seeking an enjoyable night out or a fun day of shopping. For outdoor fans, Lake Forest offers beautiful parks and trails, plus beaches along the shore of Lake Michigan. Families looking to move to the area can rest assured that there are multiple schools with outstanding educational programs. Lake Forest has something to offer everyone — whether you’re a nature lover or just looking for a great place to live.

Things to do in Champaign?
Champaign, Illinois is a thriving university town located approximately two hours south of Chicago. It has plenty of recreational facilities ranging from libraries to state parks offering access to Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve or Homer Lake.

 Lake Forest, ILChampaign, ILUnited States
 Population  Unlock88,343329,725,481
 Median Income$194,267  Unlock$69,021
 Median Age  Unlock26.938.4
 Avg. Home Price$898,600  Unlock$338,100
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.9%6.0%
 Avg. Commute Time31.2  Unlock26.38
Reviews for Lake Forest    4 Reviews

We relocated cross county to Lake Forest about a year ago due to a job change. We looked at nearby communities, within proximity of the work commute (the office is in  More

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Be prepared for a so called upscale town with entitled, overpaid, snooty people from teenagers who sneer at you to adults who look you up and down, who make demands on a  More

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Over 15 years ago

Long cold winters, short cold springs, hot humid summers, nice  More

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Reviews for Champaign    13 Reviews

Over 6 years ago

Pros - close to Chicago, has Parkland community college and lots of places to eat. There is a train station downtown that is really good. Beautiful deciduous trees and  More

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Over 8 years ago

I wonderful city with great  More

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Actually it's barely a nice place to live. The pros: Not terribly expensive - at one point the least expensive place to live in the country among modest sized  More

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