Moving to Illinois from Minnesota
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Minnesota to Illinois — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Minnesota to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 3.3% more expensive than Minnesota. A $75,000 salary in Minnesota would need to be roughly $75,004 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Minnesota to Illinois.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,004
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 5.4% less
Groceries
pay 6.5% less
Transportation
pay 3.8% more
Housing
pay 7.6% more
Childcare
pay 13.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.8% 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 Minnesota and Illinois 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
Minnesota performs 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
Minnesota generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in adult smoking 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 Minnesota leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Minnesota performs 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
Minnesota 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
Minnesota performs 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 | Saint Paul | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 32°/16°F (0°/-9°C) | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 69°/50°F (21°/10°C) | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 43°/27°F (6°/-3°C) | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Saint Paul | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25°/9°F (-4.1°/-12.6°C) | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 30°/14°F (-1.3°/-9.9°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) |
| Mar | 42°/26°F (5.5°/-3.6°C) | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) |
| May | 70°/50°F (21.2°/10.0°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) |
| Jun | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) |
| Jul | 83°/65°F (28.5°/18.1°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 81°/62°F (27.1°/16.8°C) | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) |
| Sep | 72°/53°F (22.2°/11.7°C) | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) |
| Oct | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.7°C) | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 42°/28°F (5.6°/-2.4°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) |
| Dec | 28°/14°F (-2.5°/-10.1°C) | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than Minnesota?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Illinois and Minnesota; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Illinois?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,751 in Illinois for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Illinois safe?
Minnesota performs better than Illinois across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to Minnesota?
Minnesota generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to Minnesota?
The average high temperature in Springfield is 63°F, compared to 56°F in Saint Paul. Springfield receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Saint Paul gets 28.5 in.
