Moving to Illinois from Greece
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Greece to Illinois — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Greece to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 71.8% more expensive than Greece overall. A €65,374 salary in Greece would need to be roughly $90,189 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Springfield averages 63°F vs 72°F in Athens, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Greece to Illinois.
What does your salary buy?
€65,374 → $90,189
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 49.9% more
Groceries
pay 66.1% more
Transportation
pay 4.5% more
Housing
pay 94.2% more
Childcare
pay 3.6 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 35.3% 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 38% more than cities in Greece.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Illinois
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Greece to Illinois, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Greece to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
56.116,619
Greece
Key Indicator Comparison
How Greece and Illinois stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Greece performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Illinois performs significantly better than Greece across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Illinois performs significantly better than Greece across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Greece performs better than Illinois across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Athens | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 57°/42°F (14°/6°C) | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/57°F (26°/14°C) | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/67°F (32°/20°C) | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/50°F (18°/10°C) | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Athens | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°/41°F (12.5°/5.2°C) | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.4°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) |
| Mar | 60°/44°F (15.7°/6.7°C) | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C) | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) |
| May | 79°/57°F (26.0°/13.9°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) |
| Jun | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.2°C) | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) |
| Jul | 92°/69°F (33.5°/20.8°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) |
| Sep | 85°/63°F (29.2°/17.3°C) | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) |
| Oct | 74°/56°F (23.3°/13.4°C) | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 65°/50°F (18.1°/9.8°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) |
| Dec | 57°/44°F (14.1°/6.8°C) | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) |
Data:
Hellenic National Meteorological Service,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Greece and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Greece passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Greece
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than Greece?
Day-to-day costs in Illinois run about 20% higher than Greece on average; specific cities can swing further.
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 €65,374 comparable salary, that's around $22,547 in Illinois for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Illinois?
Working remotely from Illinois's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Greece and Illinois.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to Greece?
Greece performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to Greece?
The average high temperature in Springfield is 63°F, compared to 72°F in Athens. Springfield receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Athens gets 16.3 in.
What language do they speak in Illinois?
The official language in Illinois is English. In Greece, the official language is Greek.
