Key takeaway: In 2026, CTA fares held at $2.50, Chicago dropped the 1% grocery tax, the sales tax rose to 10.5% and the minimum wage rose to $17.05.
Here’s what changed for Chicago households in 2026, in date order. We’ll keep adding to this list as new changes take effect.
What held steady or got cheaper
- CTA fares stayed frozen all year: $2.50 by train, $2.25 by bus, $75 for a 30-day pass.
- Chicago didn’t replace the state’s 1% grocery tax, so city shoppers stopped paying it on January 1.
- The median Chicago homeowner property tax bill rose a modest 3.2%, to $4,597, per the Cook County Treasurer.
- Water rates rose 1.85%, less than half of 2025’s 4% increase.
- Peoples Gas cut its rate request to $144 million, and a state Proposed Order recommends $66.2 million.
- ComEd’s winter price to compare fell to 10.103 cents per kWh on October 1.
Every change, by date
| When | What changed |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Checkout bag tax set at 15 cents a bag |
| Jan 1 | Illinois’ 1% grocery tax ended. Chicago did not replace it, so city shoppers no longer pay it |
| 2026 | Chicago Skyway toll up 30 cents, to $8.10 |
| 2026 | Rideshare trips that start or end in the downtown congestion zone pay an extra $1.50 |
| Feb | A planned CTA fare hike did not happen; fares stay $2.50 by train, $2.25 by bus |
| Jun 1 | ComEd price to compare up about 9%, to 10.399 cents per kWh |
| Jun 1 | Chicago water rates up 1.85% |
| Jul 1 | Chicago minimum wage to $17.05, tipped to $12.96; suburban Cook County to $15.40 |
| Aug 1 | Combined sales tax to 10.5% |
| Aug | Cook County property tax bills: Chicago median homeowner bill up 3.2% to $4,597 |
| Jul to Aug | Peoples Gas trims its rate request to $144 million |
| Oct 1 | ComEd winter price to compare drops to 10.103 cents per kWh |
| Oct | ICC Proposed Order recommends a $66.2 million Peoples Gas increase; final ruling expected in November |
Sources: the reports linked at the end of this post.
Still to come
- The ICC’s decision on the Peoples Gas rate case
- 2027 transit fares, now set by the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority
- Chicago’s next minimum wage adjustment on July 1, 2027
- ComEd’s next price to compare reset
Sources
- League of Women Voters Chicago: bag tax
- WTTW: Chicago 2026 budget, grocery tax eliminated
- ABC7: 2026 price increases
- WTTW: CTA budget with no fare hikes
- MyUtilitySearch: ComEd price to compare
- Forest Park Review: Chicago water rate increase
- ABC7: minimum wage increases
- Illinois Policy Institute: 10.5% sales tax
- WTTW: 2025 property tax report
- Capitol News Illinois: Peoples Gas cuts request