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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Cairo, Illinois

Simple answer

Typical rent is $515 a month.

Cairo is a city in Illinois. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $41,912 a year.

Is Cairo affordable?See benefits in Cairo
People
1,682
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$515
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$41,912
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$32,000
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,012
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA

Cairo, Illinois has about 1,682 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $32,000.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Alexander County is $1,012 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Cairo. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area, prices sit at 86.1 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Illinois taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Cairo's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Illinois home paid 19.22¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Cairo's bill.

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Illinois in the table we use.

Among 648 places we list in Illinois with a rent figure, 641 have higher typical rent than Cairo.

Nearby places

EBT nearby

USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.

Find SNAP stores near CairoWhat EBT can buy in Illinois

Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.

Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Illinois

Bigger places in Illinois

Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.