Peoria, IL vs Riverside, CA
Moving from Peoria to Riverside? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($172,742 → $585,378 median home) and taxes.
Peoria vs Riverside at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Peoria, IL, you'd need about $120,833 in Riverside, CA (+$20,833).
Livability — Peoria, IL: 69 · Riverside, CA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,921 sqft in Peoria vs 1,281 sqft in Riverside ($102 vs $390 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Peoria, IL | Riverside, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,148 | $30,228 | +$16,080 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $5,098 | +$443 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $5,125 | +$1,575 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $3,804 | +$1,596 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,500 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $11,370 | $19,978 | +$8,608 |
| Total | $37,831 | $65,733 | +$27,902 |
Side by side
| Metric | Peoria, IL | Riverside, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 88.8 | 107.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.30% | 6.95% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.5% | 3.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 97 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.05 | $6.11 |
| Median home price | $172,742 | $585,378 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.6× | 7.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 7.7% | -0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $390 |
| Median rent | $1,179 | $2,519 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 2.19% | 0.79% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 33 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 5 |