Moving to Illinois from Nevada
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Nevada to Illinois — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Nevada to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 11.9% cheaper than Nevada. A $75,000 salary in Nevada would need to be roughly $66,100 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Chicago averages 59°F vs 80°F in Las Vegas, making it significantly cooler. Las Vegas and Chicago are about 1,500 mi apart.
Is Illinois cheaper than Nevada?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 23.3% less
Groceries
pay 15.3% less
Transportation
pay 9.8% less
Housing
pay 17.0% less
Childcare
pay 3.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.0% more
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 Illinois?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Nevada to Illinois.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois performs significantly 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
Nevada 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 performs significantly 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 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 significantly 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 significantly 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 Illinois vs Nevada
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Las Vegas | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 63°/44°F (18°/7°C) | 38°/22°F (3°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 89°/66°F (31°/19°C) | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 100°/77°F (38°/25°C) | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 48°/32°F (9°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Las Vegas | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°/39°F (14.4°/4.1°C) | 31°/17°F (-0.6°/-8.6°C) |
| Feb | 62°/43°F (16.9°/6.3°C) | 35°/20°F (1.8°/-6.6°C) |
| Mar | 70°/49°F (21.3°/9.7°C) | 47°/29°F (8.1°/-1.6°C) |
| Apr | 78°/56°F (25.7°/13.4°C) | 59°/39°F (15.0°/3.8°C) |
| May | 89°/66°F (31.6°/18.8°C) | 70°/48°F (21.1°/9.1°C) |
| Jun | 99°/75°F (37.1°/23.7°C) | 80°/58°F (26.5°/14.5°C) |
| Jul | 104°/81°F (40.1°/27.2°C) | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) |
| Aug | 102°/79°F (38.9°/26.3°C) | 82°/63°F (27.7°/17.2°C) |
| Sep | 94°/71°F (34.4°/21.7°C) | 75°/54°F (23.8°/12.4°C) |
| Oct | 81°/58°F (27.0°/14.7°C) | 62°/43°F (16.8°/6.0°C) |
| Nov | 66°/47°F (19.1°/8.1°C) | 48°/32°F (9.0°/0.2°C) |
| Dec | 57°/39°F (13.7°/3.7°C) | 35°/21°F (1.6°/-6.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than Nevada?
Yes — Illinois is on average about 12% cheaper than Nevada. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Illinois?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $16,525 in Illinois on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Illinois safe?
Illinois performs significantly better than Nevada across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to Nevada?
Nevada generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to Nevada?
The average high temperature in Chicago is 59°F, compared to 80°F in Las Vegas. Chicago receives around 36.9 in of rainfall per year, while Las Vegas gets 4.2 in.
