Peoria, IL vs Washington, DC
Moving from Peoria to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($172,742 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Peoria vs Washington 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 $123,312 in Washington, DC (+$23,312).
Livability — Peoria, IL: 69 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,921 sqft in Peoria vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($102 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Peoria, IL | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,148 | $28,992 | +$14,844 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $5,318 | +$663 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,855 | +$305 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $2,748 | +$540 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,400 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $11,370 | $17,710 | +$6,340 |
| Total | $37,831 | $60,023 | +$22,192 |
Side by side
| Metric | Peoria, IL | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 88.8 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.30% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.5% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.05 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $172,742 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.6× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 7.7% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,179 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 2.19% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 29 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |