Moving to Michigan from Illinois
What to Expect
Considering a move from Illinois to Michigan? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Illinois to Michigan, you would find that Michigan is 5.2% cheaper than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $71,100 in Michigan to maintain the same lifestyle. Chicago and Detroit are about 240 mi apart.
Is Michigan cheaper than Illinois?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 3.9% more
Groceries
pay 2.5% more
Transportation
pay 5.1% less
Housing
pay 9.6% less
Childcare
pay 7.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.1% less
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 Michigan?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $71,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Michigan
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 Michigan cost about 2% more than cities in Illinois.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Michigan compared to Illinois.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois generally does better on safety, though Michigan 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
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Michigan leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Michigan performs significantly better than Illinois 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 Michigan leads in average commute.
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 performs better than Michigan 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
Illinois performs better than Michigan across all family life metrics.
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 Michigan vs Illinois
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Chicago | Detroit |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/22°F (3°/-6°C) | 36°/24°F (3°/-5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) | 68°/50°F (20°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) | 79°/62°F (26°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 48°/35°F (9°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Chicago | Detroit |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.6°/-8.6°C) | 31°/20°F (-0.3°/-6.5°C) |
| Feb | 35°/20°F (1.8°/-6.6°C) | 34°/22°F (1.3°/-5.5°C) |
| Mar | 47°/29°F (8.1°/-1.6°C) | 44°/29°F (6.8°/-1.7°C) |
| Apr | 59°/39°F (15.0°/3.8°C) | 57°/40°F (14.1°/4.2°C) |
| May | 70°/48°F (21.1°/9.1°C) | 69°/50°F (20.4°/10.1°C) |
| Jun | 80°/58°F (26.5°/14.5°C) | 78°/60°F (25.7°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) | 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.4°C) |
| Aug | 82°/63°F (27.7°/17.2°C) | 80°/64°F (26.9°/17.8°C) |
| Sep | 75°/54°F (23.8°/12.4°C) | 73°/56°F (22.8°/13.4°C) |
| Oct | 62°/43°F (16.8°/6.0°C) | 60°/45°F (15.7°/7.1°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/0.2°C) | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.9°C) |
| Dec | 35°/21°F (1.6°/-6.3°C) | 35°/25°F (1.9°/-3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Michigan than Illinois?
On average Michigan is about 5% less expensive than Illinois, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Michigan?
Budget about $17,775 for 3 months in Michigan (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Michigan safe?
Illinois generally does better on safety, though Michigan leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Michigan compared to Illinois?
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Michigan leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Michigan compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Detroit is 58°F, compared to 59°F in Chicago. Detroit receives around 31.3 in of rainfall per year, while Chicago gets 36.9 in.
