Moving to Arkansas from Illinois
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Illinois to Arkansas — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Illinois to Arkansas, you would find that Arkansas is 12.4% cheaper than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $66,756 in Arkansas to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Little Rock averages 72°F vs 63°F in Springfield, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Illinois to Arkansas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,756
To maintain the same standard of living in Arkansas
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.4% more
Groceries
pay 9.9% less
Transportation
pay 23.5% less
Housing
pay 7.1% less
Childcare
pay 25.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.4% 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 Illinois and Arkansas 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 better than Arkansas 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 better than Arkansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Arkansas generally does better on what about housing?, though Illinois leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Illinois generally does better on infrastructure, though Arkansas 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
Illinois generally does better on employment & economy, though Arkansas 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 better than Arkansas 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 | Springfield | Little Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) | 56°/38°F (13°/3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) | 80°/61°F (27°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) | 89°/70°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) | 62°/44°F (17°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Springfield | Little Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) | 49°/33°F (9.7°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) | 54°/36°F (12.4°/2.4°C) |
| Mar | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) | 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.8°C) |
| Apr | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) | 73°/53°F (22.7°/11.6°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) | 80°/62°F (26.8°/16.4°C) |
| Jun | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) | 88°/69°F (31.2°/20.7°C) |
| Jul | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) | 92°/72°F (33.3°/22.2°C) |
| Sep | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) | 84°/65°F (29.1°/18.1°C) |
| Oct | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) | 73°/54°F (23.0°/12.3°C) |
| Nov | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) | 62°/44°F (16.5°/6.6°C) |
| Dec | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) | 51°/35°F (10.7°/1.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arkansas than Illinois?
Generally yes: Arkansas runs about 11% cheaper than Illinois on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Arkansas?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,689 in Arkansas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Arkansas safe?
Illinois performs better than Arkansas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arkansas compared to Illinois?
Illinois performs better than Arkansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Arkansas compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Little Rock is 72°F, compared to 63°F in Springfield. Little Rock receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Springfield gets 37.4 in.
