Cost of living in Marion, Illinois
Marion, Illinois has about 16,836 people. Typical rent is $921 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $56,912 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 #168 in Illinois on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $921 a month.
Marion is a city in Illinois. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $56,912 a year.
- People
- 16,836
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $921
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $56,912
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $158,300
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $996
- Williamson County, IL
- Gas
- $4.237
- Midwest (PADD 2), week of October 12, 2026
Marion, Illinois has about 16,836 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $158,300.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Williamson County is $996 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Marion. 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 Marion'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 Marion'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, 402 have higher typical rent than Marion.
Nearby places
- Johnston City
Typical rent $976
Compare with Marion - Crainville
Typical rent $690
Compare with Marion - Herrin
Typical rent $1,002
Compare with Marion - Carterville
Typical rent $909
Compare with Marion - Cambria
Typical rent $1,038
Compare with Marion - West Frankfort
Typical rent $661
Compare with Marion - Goreville
Typical rent $968
Compare with Marion - Zeigler
Typical rent $920
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.