Moving to Nebraska from Illinois
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Illinois to Nebraska — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Illinois to Nebraska, you would find that Nebraska is 5.9% cheaper than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $70,600 in Nebraska to maintain the same lifestyle. Chicago and Omaha are about 430 mi apart.
Is Nebraska cheaper than Illinois?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 7.1% more
Groceries
pay 0.7% less
Transportation
pay 7.5% less
Housing
pay 10.2% less
Childcare
pay 23.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.4% 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 Nebraska?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $70,600
To maintain the same standard of living in Nebraska
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Illinois to Nebraska.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois generally does better on safety, though Nebraska leads in violent 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 Nebraska leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Nebraska generally does better on what about housing?, though Illinois leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Nebraska performs significantly better than Illinois across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Nebraska generally does better on employment & economy, though Illinois leads in median household income.
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 Nebraska leads in life expectancy.
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 Nebraska vs Illinois
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Chicago | Omaha |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/22°F (3°/-6°C) | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) | 72°/49°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) | 81°/60°F (27°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Chicago | Omaha |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.6°/-8.6°C) | 32°/13°F (0.1°/-10.7°C) |
| Feb | 35°/20°F (1.8°/-6.6°C) | 36°/17°F (2.5°/-8.6°C) |
| Mar | 47°/29°F (8.1°/-1.6°C) | 49°/27°F (9.6°/-3.0°C) |
| Apr | 59°/39°F (15.0°/3.8°C) | 62°/38°F (16.8°/3.1°C) |
| May | 70°/48°F (21.1°/9.1°C) | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.0°C) |
| Jun | 80°/58°F (26.5°/14.5°C) | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.3°C) |
| Aug | 82°/63°F (27.7°/17.2°C) | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.1°C) |
| Sep | 75°/54°F (23.8°/12.4°C) | 76°/53°F (24.2°/11.6°C) |
| Oct | 62°/43°F (16.8°/6.0°C) | 63°/41°F (17.4°/5.0°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/0.2°C) | 48°/28°F (8.8°/-2.3°C) |
| Dec | 35°/21°F (1.6°/-6.3°C) | 34°/16°F (1.0°/-9.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Nebraska than Illinois?
Yes — Nebraska is on average about 6% cheaper than Illinois. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Nebraska?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $17,650 in Nebraska on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Nebraska safe?
Illinois generally does better on safety, though Nebraska leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Nebraska compared to Illinois?
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Nebraska leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Nebraska compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Omaha is 60°F, compared to 59°F in Chicago. Omaha receives around 31.2 in of rainfall per year, while Chicago gets 36.9 in.
