Moving to Connecticut from Illinois

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Illinois to Connecticut — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Illinois to Connecticut, you would find that Connecticut is 14.3% more expensive than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $95,546 in Connecticut to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Illinois to Connecticut.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $95,546

To maintain the same standard of living in Connecticut

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 20.2% more

Groceries

pay 26.5% more

Transportation

pay 2.1% less

Housing

pay 35.0% more

Childcare

pay 4.5% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 18.3% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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 Connecticut stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

IL
306
CT
147
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

IL
1697
CT
1528

Connecticut performs significantly better than Illinois across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

IL
6.8%
CT
5.1%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

IL
34.6%
CT
31.3%

Connecticut performs significantly better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

IL
$250,500
CT
$343,200
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

IL
$1,227
CT
$1,431

Illinois performs better than Connecticut across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

IL
89.6%
CT
91.3%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

IL
28 min
CT
27 min

Connecticut performs significantly better than Illinois across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

IL
4.8%
CT
4.1%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

IL
$70,691
CT
$77,582

Connecticut performs significantly better than Illinois across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

IL
76.8 yrs
CT
78.4 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

IL
26%
CT
29%

Connecticut performs significantly 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.

Springfield Rain: 37.4 in/yr (951 mm)
63° / 43°F

Avg. annual high / low

Bridgeport Rain: 47.7 in/yr (1212 mm)
61° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Springfield Bridgeport
Jan–Mar 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) 42°/23°F (6°/-5°C)
Apr–Jun 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) 68°/49°F (20°/10°C)
Jul–Sep 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) 80°/62°F (26°/16°C)
Oct–Dec 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) 53°/34°F (12°/1°C)
View all months
Month Springfield Bridgeport
Jan 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) 38°/20°F (3.1°/-6.9°C)
Feb 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) 41°/21°F (4.9°/-6.0°C)
Mar 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) 47°/29°F (8.6°/-1.7°C)
Apr 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) 59°/40°F (15.1°/4.2°C)
May 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C)
Jun 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) 78°/59°F (25.7°/15.1°C)
Jul 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.3°C)
Aug 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) 82°/64°F (27.6°/17.7°C)
Sep 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) 75°/56°F (23.7°/13.1°C)
Oct 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.5°C)
Nov 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) 54°/34°F (12.1°/1.3°C)
Dec 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) 43°/24°F (6.1°/-4.2°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Connecticut than Illinois?

Day-to-day costs in Connecticut run about 27% higher than Illinois on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Connecticut?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $23,886 in Connecticut for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Connecticut safe?

Connecticut performs significantly better than Illinois across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Connecticut compared to Illinois?

Connecticut performs significantly better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Connecticut compared to Illinois?

The average high temperature in Bridgeport is 61°F, compared to 63°F in Springfield. Bridgeport receives around 47.7 in of rainfall per year, while Springfield gets 37.4 in.

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