The median home in Lake Forest, Illinois is valued at $1,135,613, up 9.4% year over year. Typical monthly rent is $4,508, producing a price-to-rent ratio of 21x — well above the national average of 18x. Lake Forest is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI metropolitan area, which CrashWatch tracks daily with real-time stress scores and crash risk analysis.

Home Value$1,135,613

+9.4%

Rent$4,508/mo

Prices rising — worse for buyers.

Affordability

Enter your income for Lake Forest.

Income (annual)

Down Payment

$227,123 on $1,135,613

Example: $75,000 household income. Change it above to see your own.

Out of reach128% of income

Need $342,986/yr to afford.

PITI$8,003

P/I128%

Afford$248K

Gap-$887K

P&I $5,742Tax $2,110Ins $150

Renting $3,495/mo cheaper ($4,508 rent)6.50% 30yr, 20% down, county tax + IL ins. 28% per HUD.

Home Buying Kit For Dummies (2025)Financing, negotiation, closing

Other cities in Illinois

Compare Lake Forest with other housing markets across Illinois.

Kenilworth$1.93M Winnetka$1.73M Glencoe$1.51M Bannockburn$1.22M Golf$1.19M Hinsdale$1.18M South Barrington$1.08M Barrington Hills$996K

Full Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI analysis

Stress scores, crash risk, early warning signals, and 12-month price forecasts for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI metro.

View Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI metro

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Lake Forest, IL