2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Lake Forest, IL vs Escondido, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Escondido or is it cheaper to live in Lake Forest?
- Escondido is 59.7% more expensive than Lake Forest.

Which city has more affordable housing, Escondido or Lake Forest?
- Escondido housing costs are 17.2% less expensive than Lake Forest housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Lake Forest or is Health Care more affordable in Escondido.
- Health related expenses are 7.6% less in Escondido.
 Lake Forest, ILEscondido, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock154.9100
 Food & Groceries108.2  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock89.0100
 Housing285.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$724,000$338,100
 Utilities94  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock110.3100
 Miscellaneous141.0  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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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 Escondido    16 Reviews

Escondido wins because of the weather, but has a lot of drawbacks. The schools are HORRIBLE. Like really bad. I've moved around a lot and the schools are the worst  More

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Weather is perfect year round. There are tons of things to do with the lakes, parks, the world famous San Diego Zoo's Safari Park, performing arts center, numerous  More

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Over 9 years ago

Good cost of  More

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