Photo: LincolnLogs · CC BY 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Bensenville costs more to live in than 75% of U.S. towns
It ranks #537 of 768 in Illinois for affordability. Up 4.4% in a year, 18% above the Illinois typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area ($91K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Bensenville’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($91K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 25% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 38% of renters.
In dollars
- $348Ktypical home, 18% above the Illinois typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,710a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 104prices across the Chicago metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 112)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$91K, Chicago-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 38%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Illinois: 48%Census 2020–24
- 25%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Bensenville
Very little new building
Bensenville permitted 28 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.2 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Illinois, the pace in 2025 was 1.6. In 2025, Bensenville permitted 2. New homes ↓
A median income doesn’t stretch to the towns next door
At Bensenville’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $260K covers neither the typical home here ($348K) nor in any of the five neighboring towns. The least expensive is Franklin Park at $323K. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Bensenville’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Bensenville is more affordable than 25% of U.S. towns, #537 of 768 in Illinois. Property tax pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Illinois: up 27.0% in five years, against 29.6% statewide (Zillow).
Up 27% in five years
About the same pace as Illinois (29.6%).
Show as a table
| January | Bensenville | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $214,000 | $179,000 |
| 2018 | $228,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $233,000 | $193,000 |
| 2020 | $244,000 | $198,000 |
| 2021 | $257,000 | $213,000 |
| 2022 | $278,000 | $233,000 |
| 2023 | $287,000 | $246,000 |
| 2024 | $307,000 | $260,000 |
| 2025 | $326,000 | $275,000 |
| 2026 | $338,000 | $287,000 |
| September 2026 | $348,000 | $296,000 |
A typical Bensenville home worth $209K in October 2016 is worth about $348K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 7 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 3.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Bensenville’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $51K short of a typical Bensenville home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,710 a month here, $780 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Bensenville’s typical property tax (2.31% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,710
Renters already here pay a median of $1,407, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
2 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 2 new homes in Bensenville in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1 million to build. That's 0.1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Illinois (1.6). Over the past 10 years, Bensenville has permitted 28 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Bensenville gained 461 residents while 56 new homes were permitted: about 8.2 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $913,000 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $110,000 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $550,000 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2016 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2015 | 30 | 1 | 29 | $2.9 million |
| 2014 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $299,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $525,000 |
| 2007 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2006 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2005 | 26 | 12 | 14 | $6.5 million |
| 2004 | 29 | 26 | 3 | $7.5 million |
| 2003 | 34 | 26 | 8 | $8.6 million |
| 2002 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $7.1 million |
| 2001 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $7 million |
| 2000 | 46 | 46 | 0 | $8.3 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Illinois norm
The median bill is $6,283 (Illinois: $5,298), 2.31% of a home’s value a year, against 2.01% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Bensenville
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, or Illinois. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 104 | IL 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 107 | IL 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 84 | IL 85 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 100 | IL 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Bensenville vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, Bensenville has the 3rd-lowest. Addison Township has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bensenville | C | $348K | $272K | 2.31% | $1,710 |
| Wood Dale | D | $353K | $319K | 1.85% | $2,090 |
| Elk Grove Village | D | $398K | $347K | 1.94% | $1,990 |
| Addison Township | C− | — | $342K | 1.93% | $1,910 |
| Chicago | C− | $334K | $334K | 1.48% | $1,680 |
| Franklin Park | C | $323K | $287K | 2.29% | $1,450 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Bensenville
Is Bensenville expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Bensenville costs more than 75% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #537 of 768 in Illinois. The typical home costs 3.0 years of the median household income of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area ($91K).
How much does a house cost in Bensenville?
About $348K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.4% in a year. The Illinois typical home is $296K.
What salary do you need to live in Bensenville?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $107,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,490 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $68,000.
How much is rent in Bensenville?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,710 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,407 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Bensenville?
The median bill is $6,283 a year, 2.31% of the median home value (Illinois: $5,298, 2.01%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Bensenville going up?
Yes: up 4.4% in the past year and 27.0% in five years, against 29.6% across Illinois (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Bensenville buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.