Is Champaign cheaper than Lafayette?

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

Which has higher household income, Champaign or Lafayette?

Lafayette has the higher median household income — $67,515 versus $64,980 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Champaign or Lafayette?

A paycheck stretches further in Lafayette. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $72,263 there versus $70,094 in Champaign.

Which has cheaper rent, Champaign or Lafayette?

Rents are close — $1,103/mo in the Champaign metro versus $1,126/mo in Lafayette (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Champaign vs Lafayette

Metro-area medians — Champaign-Urbana, IL Metro Area vs Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Champaign comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Champaign and Lafayette cost about the same to live in, but Lafayette households earn about 4% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Lafayette.

Their widest everyday difference: Champaign has the tighter job market — 2.9% unemployment versus 3.6%.

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

Lafayette, IN

$59,064

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$63,217

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Lafayette leaves you about $1,083/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

Lafayette

Livability (CityLedger)

56/100

48/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

92.7

93.4

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$70,094

$72,263

Median household income

$64,980

$67,515

Median rent

$1,103/mo

$1,126/mo

Median home value

$216,500

$274,600

Unemployment

2.9%

3.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

44.8%

36.8%

Average commute

18.5 min

20.1 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

52°F

51°F

Choose Champaign for

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

Full Champaign profile →

Choose Lafayette for

+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income

Full Lafayette profile →

More comparisons

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

Champaign vs College Station→Champaign vs Lincoln→Champaign vs Bloomington→Lafayette vs Blacksburg→Lafayette vs Kalamazoo→Lafayette vs College Station→

Champaign vs Lafayette — frequently asked

Is Champaign cheaper than Lafayette?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Champaign and Lafayette metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Champaign or Lafayette?: Lafayette has the higher median household income — $67,515 versus $64,980 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Champaign or Lafayette?: A paycheck stretches further in Lafayette. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $72,263 there versus $70,094 in Champaign.
Which has cheaper rent, Champaign or Lafayette?: Rents are close — $1,103/mo in the Champaign metro versus $1,126/mo in Lafayette (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).