Cost of living in Arlington Heights, IL

Housing, rent, and a comparison to the US average.

$477,028
Median home value
$1,898/mo
Median rent
134
Cost index (US=100)
+7.1%
Home YoY change

The median home value in Arlington Heights, IL is $477,028 as of 2026-04. That places Arlington Heights above the US average for housing cost, with a cost index of approximately 134 versus a national baseline of 100.

Over the past 12 months, the median home value in Arlington Heights has climbed 7.1%, and over the past five years it has averaged +6.4% annual growth. The current price sits +0.0% from its 5-year peak in 2026-04.

Renters pay a median of $1,898 per month in Arlington Heights. Rents have changed -0.4% over the last year and averaged +7.2% per year over five years.

Beyond housing, day-to-day costs in Arlington Heights are shaped by state and local taxes, utility rates, transportation, and groceries. This page focuses on the housing component, which is the largest single line in most household budgets and the easiest to compare across cities using consistent national data.

Housing

Median home value$477,028
1-year change+7.1%
5-year price growth+6.4%
10-year price growth+4.3%
vs 5-year peak+0.0%

Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI).

How Arlington Heights compares

Cost index134 (above US)
Median home vs US (~$355k)+34.4%
Population75,596
Momentum score66 (Rising)

Cost index is currently a housing-only proxy; full BLS basket coming with ACS pull.

Affordability reality

Prices only mean something against local pay. Here’s how Arlington Heights’s housing lines up with what people here actually earn.

Median rent vs income20% of local median income
Home price-to-income4.1× local median income

At $1,898/mo, rent eats about 20% of the local median household income of $116,723 — within the 30% rule of thumb for affordable housing.

The median home runs about 4.1× the local median income (stretched).

Daily life in Arlington Heights

Climate

85°/64° summer33°/18° winter189 sunny days22″ snow/yr38″ rain/yr

Summers run mild (highs near 85°F) and winters are chilly (highs near 33°F), with about 22″ of snow a year.

Natural-hazard & insurance risk

Flood: moderateTornado: highHurricane: very lowWildfire: very lowEarthquake: low

Insurance heads-up: in Arlington Heights, flood damage isn’t covered by standard home insurance — budget for a separate NFIP/private flood policy and check the FEMA flood zone for the exact address.

Getting around

The average commute is 30 min — longer than the US average of ~27 min; 25% of workers are remote; 74% own their home.

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.