Moving to California from Illinois
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Illinois to California — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Illinois to California, you would find that California is 32.3% more expensive than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $99,200 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Los Angeles averages 75°F vs 59°F in Chicago, making it significantly warmer. Chicago and Los Angeles are about 1,750 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to California? Get a shortlist of towns in California that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is California cheaper than Illinois?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 23.8% more
Groceries
pay 22.5% more
Transportation
pay 14.6% more
Housing
pay 61.6% more
Childcare
pay 28.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.6% 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.
What salary do you need in California?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $99,200
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →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 California cost about 49% more than cities in Illinois.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Illinois to California.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois performs better than California 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 generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Illinois performs better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Illinois generally does better on infrastructure, though California leads in internet access.
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 California leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Illinois generally does better on family life, though California leads in life expectancy.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in California vs Illinois
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Chicago | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/22°F (3°/-6°C) | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Chicago | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.6°/-8.6°C) | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) |
| Feb | 35°/20°F (1.8°/-6.6°C) | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) |
| Mar | 47°/29°F (8.1°/-1.6°C) | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) |
| Apr | 59°/39°F (15.0°/3.8°C) | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) |
| May | 70°/48°F (21.1°/9.1°C) | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 80°/58°F (26.5°/14.5°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) |
| Aug | 82°/63°F (27.7°/17.2°C) | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) |
| Sep | 75°/54°F (23.8°/12.4°C) | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) |
| Oct | 62°/43°F (16.8°/6.0°C) | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/0.2°C) | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 35°/21°F (1.6°/-6.3°C) | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Illinois?
No — California is on average about 32% more expensive than Illinois. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $24,800 in California on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is California safe?
Illinois performs better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in California compared to Illinois?
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in California compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Los Angeles is 75°F, compared to 59°F in Chicago. Los Angeles receives around 14.9 in of rainfall per year, while Chicago gets 36.9 in.
