Moving to Utah from Illinois
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Illinois to Utah — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Illinois to Utah, you would find that Utah is 7.7% cheaper than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $73,963 in Utah to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Illinois to Utah.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,963
To maintain the same standard of living in Utah
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 1.7% less
Groceries
pay 3.3% less
Transportation
pay 1.6% more
Housing
pay 0.1% more
Childcare
pay 34.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.5% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Illinois and Utah stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah performs significantly better than Illinois 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
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in uninsured 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 Utah leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah 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
Utah 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 Utah leads in life expectancy.
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 | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Springfield | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) |
| Mar | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) |
| Apr | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) |
| Jun | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) |
| Aug | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) |
| Sep | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) |
| Nov | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Utah than Illinois?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Utah and Illinois; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Utah?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,491 in Utah for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Utah safe?
Utah performs significantly better than Illinois across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Utah compared to Illinois?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Utah compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Salt Lake City is 64°F, compared to 63°F in Springfield. Salt Lake City receives around 16.1 in of rainfall per year, while Springfield gets 37.4 in.
