Moving to Maryland from Illinois
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Illinois to Maryland — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Illinois to Maryland, you would find that Maryland is 13.7% more expensive than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $85,200 in Maryland to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Baltimore averages 70°F vs 59°F in Chicago, making it significantly warmer. Chicago and Baltimore are about 600 mi apart.
Is Maryland cheaper than Illinois?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 6.3% more
Groceries
pay 8.8% more
Transportation
pay 1.7% more
Housing
pay 24.1% more
Childcare
pay 43.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.3% 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.
What salary do you need in Maryland?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $85,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Maryland
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 Maryland cost about 13% more than cities in Illinois.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Illinois to Maryland.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois performs better than Maryland 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
Maryland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Illinois generally does better on what about housing?, though Maryland 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 Maryland 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
Maryland generally does better on employment & economy, though Illinois 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 Maryland leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 Maryland vs Illinois
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Chicago | Baltimore |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/22°F (3°/-6°C) | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) | 88°/71°F (31°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 60°/44°F (16°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Chicago | Baltimore |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.6°/-8.6°C) | 46°/32°F (8.0°/-0.1°C) |
| Feb | 35°/20°F (1.8°/-6.6°C) | 49°/34°F (9.5°/1.2°C) |
| Mar | 47°/29°F (8.1°/-1.6°C) | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.5°C) |
| Apr | 59°/39°F (15.0°/3.8°C) | 69°/51°F (20.8°/10.4°C) |
| May | 70°/48°F (21.1°/9.1°C) | 79°/61°F (26.3°/16.1°C) |
| Jun | 80°/58°F (26.5°/14.5°C) | 89°/71°F (31.6°/21.5°C) |
| Jul | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) | 92°/75°F (33.4°/23.9°C) |
| Aug | 82°/63°F (27.7°/17.2°C) | 90°/73°F (32.2°/22.8°C) |
| Sep | 75°/54°F (23.8°/12.4°C) | 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.5°C) |
| Oct | 62°/43°F (16.8°/6.0°C) | 71°/54°F (21.9°/12.3°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/0.2°C) | 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.4°C) |
| Dec | 35°/21°F (1.6°/-6.3°C) | 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maryland than Illinois?
No — Maryland is on average about 14% more expensive than Illinois. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Maryland?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,300 in Maryland on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Maryland safe?
Illinois performs better than Maryland across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maryland compared to Illinois?
Maryland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Maryland compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Baltimore is 70°F, compared to 59°F in Chicago. Baltimore receives around 42.4 in of rainfall per year, while Chicago gets 36.9 in.
