Cost of living in Chester, Illinois
Simple answer
Typical rent is $760 a month.
Chester is a city in Illinois. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $80,625 a year.
- People
- 6,797
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $760
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $80,625
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $111,700
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $930
- Randolph County, IL
Chester, Illinois has about 6,797 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $111,700.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Randolph County is $930 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Chester. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
Illinois's prices sit at 100.0 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.
Illinois taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Chester'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 Chester'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, 555 have higher typical rent than Chester.
Nearby places
- Steeleville
Typical rent $769
Compare with Chester - Ste. Genevieve
Typical rent $771
Compare with Chester - Perryville
Typical rent $944
Compare with Chester - Sparta
Typical rent $762
Compare with Chester - Red Bud
Typical rent $845
Compare with Chester - Marissa
Typical rent $702
Compare with Chester - New Athens
Typical rent $993
- Murphysboro
Typical rent $697
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.