Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Pontiac costs less to live in than 84% of U.S. towns
It ranks #83 of 768 in Illinois for affordability. Up 10.4% in a year, 47% below the Illinois typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Pontiac, IL micro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Pontiac-area micro earn ($74K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.6 years of area income, and 39% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $158Ktypical home, 47% below the Illinois typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,020a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Pontiac-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 39%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Illinois: 48%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Pontiac
Few homes for sale, but they don’t sell fast
With about 1.7 months of supply (Illinois: 2.6), the market counts as tight. Yet the typical home took 69 days to sell, against 43 statewide, and sold at 100% of asking. Tight supply here hasn’t meant quick sales. How fast homes sell ↓
Very little new building
Pontiac permitted 31 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.3 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Illinois, the pace in 2025 was 1.6. In 2025, Pontiac permitted 1. New homes ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pontiac lost 781 residents while 32 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
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 Pontiac’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pontiac is more affordable than 84% of U.S. towns, #83 of 768 in Illinois. Property tax pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have outpaced Illinois: the typical Pontiac home is up 43.1% in five years, against 29.6% statewide (Zillow).
Up 43.1% in five years
Faster than Illinois (29.6%).
Show as a table
| January | Pontiac | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $89,000 | $179,000 |
| 2018 | $91,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $93,000 | $193,000 |
| 2020 | $100,000 | $198,000 |
| 2021 | $105,000 | $213,000 |
| 2022 | $113,000 | $233,000 |
| 2023 | $120,000 | $246,000 |
| 2024 | $128,000 | $260,000 |
| 2025 | $137,000 | $275,000 |
| 2026 | $151,000 | $287,000 |
| September 2026 | $158,000 | $296,000 |
A typical Pontiac home worth $90K in October 2016 is worth about $158K 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 14 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 1.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pontiac’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Pontiac home, with $88K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,020 a month here, $90 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pontiac’s typical property tax (2.15% 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 $1,020
Renters already here pay a median of $842, 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 (Livingston County, IL): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Pontiac in 2025. That's 0.1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Illinois (1.6). Over the past 10 years, Pontiac has permitted 31 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pontiac's population fell by 781 even though 32 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $75,000 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 3 | $200,000 |
| 2021 | 6 | 2 | 4 | $664,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 1 | 3 | $715,000 |
| 2019 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $592,000 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 4 | $240,000 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $394,000 |
| 2016 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $285,000 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $150,000 |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | 6 | $355,000 |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | 4 | $235,000 |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $85,000 |
| 2011 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $897,000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $522,000 |
| 2009 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $946,000 |
| 2008 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2007 | 81 | 13 | 68 | $6.3 million |
| 2006 | 26 | 16 | 10 | $2.4 million |
| 2005 | 19 | 13 | 6 | $1.7 million |
| 2004 | 27 | 19 | 8 | $2.2 million |
| 2003 | 21 | 19 | 2 | $2.3 million |
| 2002 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2001 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2000 | 27 | 17 | 10 | $1.5 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $2,495, under the Illinois median of $5,298, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 2.15% 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+”.
Pontiac and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac | A− | $158K | $116K | 2.15% | $1,020 |
Questions about the cost of living in Pontiac
Is Pontiac expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pontiac costs less than 84% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #83 of 768 in Illinois. The typical home costs 1.6 years of the median household income of the Pontiac, IL micro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Pontiac?
About $158K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 10.4% in a year. The Illinois typical home is $296K.
What salary do you need to live in Pontiac?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $47,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,110 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $41,000.
How much is rent in Pontiac?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,020 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $842 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pontiac?
The median bill is $2,495 a year, 2.15% of the median home value (Illinois: $5,298, 2.01%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pontiac going up?
Yes: up 10.4% in the past year and 43.1% in five years, against 29.6% across Illinois (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pontiac 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.