Moving to Illinois from New Jersey
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from New Jersey to Illinois — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from New Jersey to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 13.5% cheaper than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $59,537 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from New Jersey to Illinois.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $59,537
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 10.9% less
Groceries
pay 21.3% less
Transportation
pay 12.8% less
Housing
pay 11.9% less
Childcare
pay 17.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.9% 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.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Illinois cost about 27% less than cities in New Jersey.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from New Jersey to Illinois.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New Jersey 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
New Jersey 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 New Jersey across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New Jersey generally does better on infrastructure, though Illinois leads in average commute.
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
New Jersey performs better than Illinois 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
New Jersey 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 | Trenton | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Trenton | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) |
| Mar | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) |
| May | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) |
| Jul | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) |
| Sep | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) |
| Dec | 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C) | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than New Jersey?
Yes — Illinois is on average about 21% cheaper than New Jersey. 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 $14,884 in Illinois on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Illinois safe?
New Jersey performs better than Illinois across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to New Jersey?
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to New Jersey?
The average high temperature in Springfield is 63°F, compared to 63°F in Trenton. Springfield receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Trenton gets 46.5 in.
