Trying To Save Money? These Are Illinois' Most Affordable Places

For the longest time, Illinois was number-one in the country for a reason that no one wants to be number-one: Outbound migration. Outbound migration is a rather diplomatic term to describe people bailing on a state to move somewhere else.

While the small tapering off of people heading for Illinois' borders can be looked at as a good thing, we're still really high on the list of states in the country with people looking for an exit. When asked why they've decided to find another state in which to live, most ex-Illinoisans answer with just one word: Taxes.

If you're curious, here are the top 5 states experiencing the most outbound migration:

Illinois is now #5 in the United States when it comes to residents heading for the exits, having lost 344,000 (while gaining 228,000) residents to other states in 2022. The top 4, including the number of residents lost, would be these states:

California (817,700)
New York (545,600)
Texas (494,000)
Florida (489,900)

I was certain that Illinois had more homes that this. (Getty Images)

Yeah, more like that. (Getty Images)

So, To Break It Down, You Want To Leave The Too-Expensive Illinois City You Live In, But You Don't Want To Leave The State Itself--Where Do You Go To Find An Affordable Spot In The Land Of Lincoln?

Niche.com just released their "2023 Places with the Lowest Cost of Living in Illinois" list, and their analysts took a look at multiple factors to come up with their list of the 50 places in Illinois with the overall "cheapest" cost of living. Things like:

Housing
Food costs
Gas costs
Median tax rates

These towns and cities are scattered throughout the state, and to be honest, there are more than a couple of places that I have never even heard of. Here they are in reverse order, according to Niche.com:

50. Pinckneyville
49. Carmi
48. Creve Coeur
47. Gilman
46. Kewanee
45. Havana
44. Harristown
43. Percy
42. Hartford
41. Abingdon
40. Benld
39. Hillsboro
38. Gillespie
37. Mitchell
36. Salem
35. Long Creek
34. Hoopeston
33. Paris
32. Savanna
31. Newton
30. Flora
29. Mount Carmel
28. Fairfield
27. Mount Sterling
26. Shelbyville
25. Westville
24. Beardstown
23. Litchfield
22. Benton
21. West Frankfort
20. Onarga
19. Pana
18. Carthage
17. Georgetown
16. Central City
15. Roodhouse
14. Monmouth
13. Chester
12. McLeansboro
11. Du Quoin
10. Olney
9. Tilton
8. Bushnell
7. Christopher
6. Nokomis
5. Jonesboro
4. Bridgeport (Not the Chicago neighborhood)
3. Eldorado
2. Johnston City
1. White Hall

To read Niche's full study, click here.

LOOK: The 50 best small towns to raise a family in the U.S.

Looking for the best small towns to raise a family? Stacker compiled this list of the top 50 small towns in the United States using 2023 data from Niche.

Gallery Credit: Annalise Mantz