Moving to Illinois from District of Columbia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from District of Columbia to Illinois — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from District of Columbia to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 32.3% cheaper than District of Columbia. A $75,000 salary in District of Columbia would need to be roughly $50,800 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from District of Columbia to Illinois.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $50,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 27.1% less
Groceries
pay 25.2% less
Transportation
pay 16.3% less
Housing
pay 42.5% less
Childcare
pay 52.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 35.0% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
How District of Columbia and Illinois stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois performs significantly better than District of Columbia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
District of Columbia performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Illinois performs significantly better than District of Columbia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
District of Columbia generally does better on infrastructure, though Illinois leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
District of Columbia generally does better on employment & economy, though Illinois leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
District of Columbia performs better than Illinois across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Washington | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than District of Columbia?
Generally yes: Illinois runs about 32% cheaper than District of Columbia on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Illinois?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $12,700 in Illinois for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Illinois safe?
Illinois performs significantly better than District of Columbia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to District of Columbia?
District of Columbia performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to District of Columbia?
The average high temperature in Springfield is 63°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Springfield receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
