Chicago per diem ratesIllinois · FY 2027
No other Illinois area has a higher full-year average lodging cap; next comes East St. Louis / O’Fallon / Fairview Heights ($156). Chicago’s high season has shifted: in FY 2021 it ran October to November and September, now April to June. GSA splits Chicago’s year into five rate periods, as it does for only 14 areas.
Chicago among the 295
Chicago’s Apr–Jun peak lodging cap of $238 ranks 39th among the peak caps of the 295 areas, between Miami (FL) and Stuart (FL). Nationally, Chicago is 32nd of 295 by full-year average, between Denver / Aurora (CO, $203) and Boca Raton / Delray Beach / Jupiter (FL, $200). Illinois, area by area.
Chicago since FY 2021
Since FY 2021 Chicago’s full-year average has grown 9.8%; ranked by that growth, Chicago sits between Reading (PA) and Memphis (TN). Against FY 2026, Chicago’s full-year average rose 3.6%, between Santa Monica (CA) and Durham (NH) among year-on-year changes. In FY 2021 Chicago ranked 25th of 293 by full-year average, between Philadelphia (PA) and Midland / Odessa (TX). Along the way: flat in FY 2023, up 6.5% in FY 2024, down 0.5% in FY 2025.
| Months | Cap | Nights |
|---|---|---|
| October to November | $232 | 61 |
| December to March | $148 | 121 |
| April to June | $238 | 91 |
| July to August | $213 | 62 |
| September | $232 | 30 |
Four days in April
Monday, April 5, 2027, to Thursday: up to $1,036, three nights at the April cap plus $322 M&IE. Starting December 7 instead, in a low month, the same trip comes to $766.
Meals and incidentals are paid at the top tier, which 33 areas share. No other Illinois area has a meal rate as high as $92. Weighted by days, the cap sits 79.1% above the standard rate over the year.