Living in Champaign, IL
College town in Illinois
Champaign is a college town in Illinois, home to about 89,000 people, with 228,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Champaign a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $229k and rents for $1,440 a month
- Mild summers: highs around 84°F
- Low natural disaster risk: 2 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Dog-friendly: 8 dog parks within 9 mi
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Higher taxes: about $2,002 state income tax per resident, 2.24% property tax
- Smaller job market: about 228,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Champaign ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Champaign: common questions
What is the cost of living in Champaign?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $229k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,440 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 93, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Champaign?
Illinois collects about $2,002 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.24% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Champaign safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.5× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Champaign?
Champaign has cold winters: winter days average around 37°F and summer days around 84°F, with roughly 21″ of snow a year.
Does Champaign get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, cold waves and tornadoes: 2 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.19 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Champaign?
The nearest major airport is IND, about 109 mi away.
How Champaign scores
Each bar compares Champaign with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Champaign right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.