Cost of living in Sterling, Illinois

Sterling, Illinois has about 14,717 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $108,700.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Whiteside County is $945 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Sterling. 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 Sterling'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 Sterling'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, 454 have higher typical rent than Sterling.