Moving to Delaware from Illinois

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Illinois to Delaware, you would find that Delaware is 5.8% more expensive than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $80,999 in Delaware to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $80,999

To maintain the same standard of living in Delaware

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 2.4% more

Groceries

pay 8.8% more

Transportation

pay 11.7% less

Housing

pay 7.9% more

Childcare

pay 27.2% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 0.1% 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 Delaware 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
DE
370
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

IL
1697
DE
1831

Illinois performs better than Delaware 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%
DE
5.8%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

IL
34.6%
DE
38.4%

Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Delaware leads in uninsured rate.

What about housing?

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

typical price of a home

IL
$250,500
DE
$326,800
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

IL
$1,227
DE
$1,341

Illinois generally does better on what about housing?, though Delaware leads in homeownership rate.

Will I have good infrastructure?

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

share of households with internet

IL
89.6%
DE
91.5%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

IL
28 min
DE
26 min

Delaware 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%
DE
5.1%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

IL
$70,691
DE
$80,523

Delaware generally does better on employment & economy, though Illinois leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

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

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

IL
26%
DE
24%

Illinois performs better than Delaware 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

Dover Rain: 46.1 in/yr (1170 mm)
66° / 47°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Springfield Dover
Jan–Mar 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C)
Apr–Jun 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) 75°/54°F (24°/12°C)
Jul–Sep 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) 84°/65°F (29°/18°C)
Oct–Dec 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) 58°/40°F (15°/4°C)
View all months
Month Springfield Dover
Jan 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) 43°/27°F (6.3°/-2.7°C)
Feb 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) 47°/29°F (8.3°/-1.7°C)
Mar 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) 55°/36°F (12.7°/2.0°C)
Apr 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) 66°/44°F (18.7°/6.8°C)
May 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) 75°/54°F (23.7°/12.1°C)
Jun 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.4°C)
Jul 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) 87°/68°F (30.6°/20.2°C)
Aug 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) 85°/67°F (29.6°/19.4°C)
Sep 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) 79°/60°F (26.3°/15.6°C)
Oct 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) 69°/49°F (20.4°/9.3°C)
Nov 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) 58°/40°F (14.7°/4.3°C)
Dec 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) 47°/31°F (8.6°/-0.6°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Delaware than Illinois?

Day-to-day costs in Delaware run about 8% higher than Illinois on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Delaware?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,250 in Delaware for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Delaware safe?

Illinois performs better than Delaware across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Delaware compared to Illinois?

Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Delaware leads in uninsured rate.

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

The average high temperature in Dover is 66°F, compared to 63°F in Springfield. Dover receives around 46.1 in of rainfall per year, while Springfield gets 37.4 in.

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