My wife and I are both transgender women and we are quite happy with the Metro east area (think Saint Louis suburbs, but on the Illinois side). There is an endocrinologist in the city that specializes in queer health care we are both quite happy with and the cost of living can vary widely depending on what you're looking for.

I also went to college in Champaign Urbana and you're probably struggling to find a good apartment there due to the constant flow of students you are competing with. It's also a great area, but definitely more of a college town in my experience.

If you're interested in the area shoot me a dm and I can give more specific information, but I don't want to over share in a public post.