Is Champaign cheaper than College Station?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Champaign and College Station metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Champaign or College Station?

Champaign has the higher median household income — $64,980 versus $61,983 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Champaign or College Station?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($70,094 versus $68,150).

Which has cheaper rent, Champaign or College Station?

Champaign has cheaper rent — a median of $1,103/mo versus $1,195/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Champaign vs College Station

Metro-area medians — Champaign-Urbana, IL Metro Area vs College Station-Bryan, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Champaign comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Champaign and College Station cost about the same to live in, but Champaign households earn about 5% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Champaign, IL

$57,601

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$62,134

real value after local prices

College Station, TX

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$67,414

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, College Station leaves you about $5,279/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Champaign

College Station

Livability (CityLedger)

56/100

44/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

92.7

91.0

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$70,094

$68,150

Median household income

$64,980

$61,983

Median rent

$1,103/mo

$1,195/mo

Median home value

$216,500

$301,800

Unemployment

2.9%

4.7%

Bachelor's degree or higher

44.8%

42.5%

Average commute

18.5 min

19.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

52°F

69°F

Choose Champaign for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median household income
+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Champaign profile →

Choose College Station for

+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full College Station profile →

Champaign vs College Station — frequently asked

Is Champaign cheaper than College Station?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Champaign and College Station metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Champaign or College Station?: Champaign has the higher median household income — $64,980 versus $61,983 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Champaign or College Station?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($70,094 versus $68,150).
Which has cheaper rent, Champaign or College Station?: Champaign has cheaper rent — a median of $1,103/mo versus $1,195/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).