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

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Palo Alto or is it cheaper to live in Lake Forest?
- Palo Alto is 138.1% more expensive than Lake Forest.

Which city has more affordable housing, Palo Alto or Lake Forest?
- Palo Alto housing costs are 299.4% more expensive than Lake Forest housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Lake Forest or is Health Care more affordable in Palo Alto.
- Health related expenses are 11.8% more in Palo Alto.
 Lake Forest, ILPalo Alto, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock231.0100
 Food & Groceries108.2  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock107.7100
 Housing285.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$3,107,600$338,100
 Utilities94  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock140.6100
 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 Palo Alto    8 Reviews

The Bay Area in general, but Palo Alto specifically provides many of the qualities sought by many; the climate is beautiful, there is access to cultural and recreational  More

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Over 17 years ago

Very  More

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Over 18 years ago

VTA and SamsTrans and Caltrain all provide good service and most times frequency of service is  More

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Start Your Review of Palo Alto


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