The Yorktown ReserveBlog
Working in Elmhurst, Living in Lombard: What the Commute Actually Looks Like
Less than a year ago, the median home sale price in Elmhurst was over $200,000 more than in Lombard. Just two metro stops down the line, but almost a quarter of a million dollars in price difference. Luckily, renting narrows that gap considerably, which is the nice thing about a suburban apartment complex. A one-bedroom averages about $2,038 in Elmhurst against $1,857 in Lombard, but $180 a month adds up, especially in 2026. If you landed a job in Elmhurst, maybe at the hospital or the university or one of the office buildings along the corridor, and are doing the math on where to actually live, Lombard is the obvious answer to that question. In this article, we’ll discover what a day in the life looks like when you say yes to living in Lombard and commuting to Elmhurst.
Train Commute from Lombard to Elmhurst
Both on the Union Pacific West Line, both Lombard and Elmhurst are between 15 and 20 miles from Ogilvy. With only 4.2 miles between them and one stop in Villa Park in the middle, the train comes steadily every 8-10 minutes and is a reliable mode of transportation to and from Elmhurst and Lombard. And since both stations are in Zone 3, that means a base fare is only $3.75 one way, making this an incredibly cheap commute. The good news is that after Illinois passed its transit funding bill, the fare increase that Metra had proposed for 2026 and beyond was completely scrapped. RTA Chair Kirk Dillard put it as, “We can say confidently that in 2026 we will not see any cuts to service. We will not see any layoffs pending our action today, and riders will not see fare increases, and instead, will continue to see improvements in service.”
But the catch with the train isn’t the price – The Active Transportation Alliance has been blunt about the underlying design: “Metra’s core market historically has been white-collar suburbanites commuting to and from the Loop for 9-to-5 Monday-through-Friday jobs. While traditional rush hour service remains relatively frequent on most lines, reverse-commute and off-peak service are barely hanging on.” So let’s hope you are a timely person because practically that means a 9-minute ride can still cost you 40 minutes if you miss your train. If your job has a hard start time, you work pretty consistent and predictable hours. The train is perfect for you, but if you get pulled into a 6 p.m. meeting twice a week, make sure you check the gaps before you commit to where you live.
Car Commute from Lombard to Elmhurst
With only about six miles of road between the two downtowns, commuting by car is by far the fastest and easiest way to get between the two areas. Not only is it only six miles away, but there are also about six options for where to go, what roads to take, and what you can drive by. You might even find that a new Starbucks has popped up on one of these routes, or your favorite breakfast spot that makes some mornings a little sweeter and easier.
St. Charles Road: Run straight east-west between the two, and it is the most low-drama option, but it has slower speed limits and more lights, as most suburbs do.
North Avenue (IL-64): Super fast in theory, but it is the first to seize up in the morning. Commute and traffic can be brutal. If you have to leave at 7:00 am, it’s fine, but if you have to drive back at 5:30, it’s miserable.
Roosevelt Road (IL-38): If you’re headed into the office and medical buildings on Elmhurst’s south end, rather than the downtown Roosevelt Road, it is the southern parallel and the most practical option for your commute.
I-290 / I-88: Avoiding the highway is ideal, and commuting and taking I-290 or I-88 will only make sense if your destination sits near an interchange. Downtown to downtown, you hit a few tolls, and getting on and off the expressway costs more than it saves.
Call the commute 15 minutes when the roads cooperate, but probably around 30 when they don’t. The real cost of driving is the variance. You can’t predict traffic, accidents, or weather, and those can all hold up your commute.
Is It Worth It?
The housing price gap between the two towns is large enough that most reasonable commutes are still enough to know that living in Lombard is far more ideal. If you’re willing to trade about 20 to 30 minutes of your day for a couple hundred thousand dollars in home purchase price or rental price, this is the best option for you.