2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Salina, KS vs Elgin, IL

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Elgin or is it cheaper to live in Salina?
- Elgin is 25.9% more expensive than Salina.

Which city has more affordable housing, Elgin or Salina?
- Elgin housing costs are 66.5% more expensive than Salina housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Salina or is Health Care more affordable in Elgin.
- Health related expenses are 11.6% less in Elgin.
 Salina, KSElgin, ILUnited States
 Overall  Unlock95.4100
 Food & Groceries94.0  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock92.7100
 Housing48.3  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$264,200$338,100
 Utilities108  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock90.9100
 Miscellaneous104.7  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Salina    6 Reviews

I moved here 3 years ago, because I wanted to raise my children in a small town. We lived in a big city with a lot of crime and the some kids were always in trouble. I  More

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Salina in some parts is so wild that there are animals, tutles and skunks I saw at night while dring a beer outside the market near Tony's Pizza factory ownd by the  More

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Over 11 years ago

I was there for almost a whole year. I stayed at the Salina Rescue Mission for free however nothing is really "free". Housing- Salina downtown purports to have cheap  More

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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 16 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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