Moving to Massachusetts from Illinois
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Illinois to Massachusetts — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Illinois to Massachusetts, you would find that Massachusetts is 14.1% more expensive than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $92,934 in Massachusetts to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Illinois to Massachusetts.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $92,934
To maintain the same standard of living in Massachusetts
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 15.4% more
Groceries
pay 15.2% more
Transportation
pay 0.9% less
Housing
pay 34.5% more
Childcare
pay 27.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 14.3% 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.
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 Massachusetts cost about 32% more than cities in Illinois.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Illinois to Massachusetts.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois generally does better on safety, though Massachusetts leads in property crime rate.
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
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Illinois performs better than Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Illinois across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Springfield | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Springfield | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) |
| Mar | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) |
| Apr | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) |
| Jun | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) |
| Sep | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) |
| Oct | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) |
| Dec | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts than Illinois?
No — Massachusetts is on average about 24% more expensive than Illinois. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Massachusetts?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $23,234 in Massachusetts on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Massachusetts safe?
Illinois generally does better on safety, though Massachusetts leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Massachusetts compared to Illinois?
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Massachusetts compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Boston is 59°F, compared to 63°F in Springfield. Boston receives around 43.8 in of rainfall per year, while Springfield gets 37.4 in.
