Is Champaign cheaper than Columbia?

Columbia is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Champaign's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Champaign or Columbia?

Columbia has the higher median household income — $80,142 versus $64,980 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 23% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Champaign or Columbia?

A paycheck stretches further in Columbia. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,606 there versus $70,094 in Champaign.

Which has cheaper rent, Champaign or Columbia?

Rents are close — $1,103/mo in the Champaign metro versus $1,115/mo in Columbia (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Champaign vs Columbia

Metro-area medians — Champaign-Urbana, IL Metro Area vs Columbia, MO Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Columbia comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Columbia is both cheaper to live in (about 4% less) and higher-earning (about 23% more) than Champaign. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Columbia.

Their widest everyday difference: Columbia has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 39 versus 44.

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

Columbia, MO

$58,705

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$65,637

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Columbia leaves you about $3,503/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

Columbia

Livability (CityLedger)

56/100

74/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

92.7

89.4

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$70,094

$89,606

Median household income

$64,980

$80,142

Median rent

$1,103/mo

$1,115/mo

Median home value

$216,500

$289,500

Unemployment

2.9%

3.1%

Bachelor's degree or higher

44.8%

49.4%

Average commute

18.5 min

19.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

52°F

56°F

Choose Champaign for

+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute

Full Champaign profile →

Choose Columbia for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Columbia profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Champaign and Columbia on cost, income, size, and education.

Champaign vs College Station→Champaign vs Lincoln→Champaign vs Bloomington→Columbia vs Iowa City→Columbia vs Lincoln→Columbia vs Bloomington→

Champaign vs Columbia — frequently asked

Is Champaign cheaper than Columbia?: Columbia is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Champaign's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Champaign or Columbia?: Columbia has the higher median household income — $80,142 versus $64,980 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 23% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Champaign or Columbia?: A paycheck stretches further in Columbia. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,606 there versus $70,094 in Champaign.
Which has cheaper rent, Champaign or Columbia?: Rents are close — $1,103/mo in the Champaign metro versus $1,115/mo in Columbia (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).