Cost of living in Carol Stream, Illinois
Carol Stream, Illinois has about 39,460 people. Typical rent is $1,529 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $102,309 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.
Ranked #207 in Illinois on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,529 a month.
Carol Stream is a village in Illinois. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $102,309 a year.
- People
- 39,460
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,529
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $102,309
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $335,000
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $2,011
- Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area
- Gas
- $4.237
- Midwest (PADD 2), week of October 12, 2026
Carol Stream, Illinois has about 39,460 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $335,000.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in DuPage County is $2,011 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Carol Stream. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, prices sit at 103.6 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 Carol Stream'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 Carol Stream's bill.
EIA does not publish a Illinois gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Midwest (PADD 2) all-grades price was $4.237 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,033.76 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Illinois shares this price.
Among 648 places we list in Illinois with a rent figure, 130 have higher typical rent than Carol Stream.
Nearby places
- Glendale Heights
Typical rent $1,590
Compare with Carol Stream - Winfield
Typical rent $1,493
Compare with Carol Stream - Bloomingdale
Typical rent $1,603
Compare with Carol Stream - Bartlett
Typical rent $1,883
Compare with Carol Stream - Hanover Park
Typical rent $1,594
Compare with Carol Stream - Wheaton
Typical rent $1,799
Compare with Carol Stream - Roselle
Typical rent $1,641
Compare with Carol Stream - West Chicago
Typical rent $1,469
Compare with Carol Stream
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.
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.