Moving to Illinois from Georgia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Georgia to Illinois — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Georgia to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 9.3% more expensive than Georgia. A $75,000 salary in Georgia would need to be roughly $73,636 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Georgia to Illinois.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,636
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Transportation
pay 3.9% more
Housing
pay 7.3% less
Childcare
pay 30.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.8% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Illinois cost about 1% more than cities in Georgia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Georgia to Illinois.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois performs significantly better than Georgia 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
Illinois performs significantly better than Georgia 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 Georgia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Illinois performs significantly better than Georgia across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Illinois generally does better on employment & economy, though Georgia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Illinois performs significantly better than Georgia 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 | Atlanta | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 58°/39°F (14°/4°C) | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 64°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Atlanta | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.3°C) | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.2°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.1°/6.7°C) | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 72°/51°F (22.5°/10.8°C) | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) |
| May | 80°/60°F (26.6°/15.7°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) |
| Jun | 86°/68°F (30.2°/20.1°C) | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) |
| Jul | 89°/71°F (31.7°/21.8°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C) | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) |
| Sep | 82°/65°F (27.9°/18.2°C) | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) |
| Oct | 73°/54°F (22.6°/12.2°C) | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.9°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) |
| Dec | 54°/36°F (12.2°/2.5°C) | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than Georgia?
Costs in Illinois and Georgia are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Illinois?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,409 in Illinois on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Illinois safe?
Illinois performs significantly better than Georgia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to Georgia?
Illinois performs significantly better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to Georgia?
The average high temperature in Springfield is 63°F, compared to 72°F in Atlanta. Springfield receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Atlanta gets 49.7 in.
