Moving to Nevada from Illinois
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Illinois to Nevada — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Illinois to Nevada, you would find that Nevada is 13.5% more expensive than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $85,100 in Nevada to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Las Vegas averages 80°F vs 59°F in Chicago, making it significantly warmer. Chicago and Las Vegas are about 1,500 mi apart.
Is Nevada cheaper than Illinois?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 30.3% more
Groceries
pay 18.1% more
Transportation
pay 10.9% more
Housing
pay 20.4% more
Childcare
pay 3.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.5% 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 Nevada?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $85,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Nevada
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Illinois to Nevada.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois performs better than Nevada 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
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Nevada leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Illinois performs better than Nevada across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Nevada 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
Illinois performs better than Nevada 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 Nevada 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 Nevada vs Illinois
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Chicago | Las Vegas |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/22°F (3°/-6°C) | 63°/44°F (18°/7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) | 89°/66°F (31°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) | 100°/77°F (38°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) |
View all months
| Month | Chicago | Las Vegas |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.6°/-8.6°C) | 58°/39°F (14.4°/4.1°C) |
| Feb | 35°/20°F (1.8°/-6.6°C) | 62°/43°F (16.9°/6.3°C) |
| Mar | 47°/29°F (8.1°/-1.6°C) | 70°/49°F (21.3°/9.7°C) |
| Apr | 59°/39°F (15.0°/3.8°C) | 78°/56°F (25.7°/13.4°C) |
| May | 70°/48°F (21.1°/9.1°C) | 89°/66°F (31.6°/18.8°C) |
| Jun | 80°/58°F (26.5°/14.5°C) | 99°/75°F (37.1°/23.7°C) |
| Jul | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) | 104°/81°F (40.1°/27.2°C) |
| Aug | 82°/63°F (27.7°/17.2°C) | 102°/79°F (38.9°/26.3°C) |
| Sep | 75°/54°F (23.8°/12.4°C) | 94°/71°F (34.4°/21.7°C) |
| Oct | 62°/43°F (16.8°/6.0°C) | 81°/58°F (27.0°/14.7°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/0.2°C) | 66°/47°F (19.1°/8.1°C) |
| Dec | 35°/21°F (1.6°/-6.3°C) | 57°/39°F (13.7°/3.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Nevada than Illinois?
No — Nevada is on average about 13% more expensive than Illinois. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Nevada?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,275 in Nevada on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Nevada safe?
Illinois performs better than Nevada across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Nevada compared to Illinois?
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Nevada leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Nevada compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Las Vegas is 80°F, compared to 59°F in Chicago. Las Vegas receives around 4.2 in of rainfall per year, while Chicago gets 36.9 in.
