What salary do you need to live in Bloomington, IL?

Rent, home values and prices in Bloomington

A one-bedroom in Bloomington rents for a median of $813 a month, utilities the tenant pays included; a two-bedroom goes for $1,063 and a three-bedroom for $1,234. Over a full year, the two-bedroom median comes to $12,756.

Homeowners in Bloomington report a median home value of $208,400. Against a median household income of $79,905, the ratio is 2.6× — one of the gentler home-price-to-income ratios in the country.

BEA's Regional Price Parity for the metro is 93.5, where 100 is the US average. In plain terms, the full basket of goods, services and housing costs 6.5% less than average, so $100,000 here buys roughly what $106,910 would at average US prices.

How much you need to earn in Bloomington

With a two-bedroom at the median rent, the score enters Tight at $29,000, Okay at $57,000 and Comfortable at $115,000 a year before tax. At the Comfortable line, a year of rent takes 11% of income and the median home is 1.8× income.

Royal, the top band, starts at $351,000. At that income rent is 4% of pay and the median home 0.6× income.

Nothing here is a separate rule of thumb; plug any of these incomes into the calculator with two bedrooms and Bloomington shows the matching grade.

What different incomes look like in Bloomington

At $75,000 home size barely changes the picture: one, two and three bedrooms all grade Okay, with scores from 51 to 57.

Of the four salaries, $150,000 is the first where a two-bedroom reads Comfortable or better; $100,000 still lands at Okay.

Bloomington compared with every US metro

Ranked against all 387 metros, Bloomington sits 194th on overall price level and 246th on the two-bedroom rent median, counting from the most expensive. Its median home value ranks 286th.

Eau Claire, WI ($1,065) and Evansville, IN ($1,057) bracket Bloomington on two-bedroom rent.

Bloomington next to Illinois and similar metros

How Bloomington stacks up against its state: $1,063 for a two-bedroom against Illinois's $1,284, $208,400 for the median home against $263,300, and a price level of 93.5 against 100.0.

On statewide medians, a two-bedroom budget reaches Comfortable at $164,000 — above Bloomington's $115,000 line.

Within Illinois, the metros closest to Bloomington on rent and overall prices are Champaign-Urbana, IL, Rockford, IL, and Kankakee, IL. Their Comfortable lines for two bedrooms sit at $112,000, $101,000, and $120,000.

Bloomington's median income on the scale

The median household in the metro earns $79,905 (ACS 2020-2024). Run through the calculator with two bedrooms, that scores 55, Okay. The Comfortable line is 44% above what the median household makes. Statewide, the Illinois median household ($83,390) grades Okay on the state's own medians. Since a household can have two or more earners, compare it with a combined income rather than one paycheck.

Estimates use pre-tax income and public data; they are not financial advice.