Moving to Illinois from New York

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What to Expect

Everything you need to know before relocating from New York to Illinois — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.

If you moved from New York to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 8.9% cheaper than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $64,219 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

What to expect for your wallet after moving from New York to Illinois.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $64,219

To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois

Calculate with your salary →

Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day

Restaurants

pay 6.5% less

Groceries

pay 15.4% less

Transportation

pay 14.8% less

Housing

pay 9.8% less

Childcare

pay 8.3% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 13.5% less

See full cost of living breakdown

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 15% less than cities in New York.

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

Key indicators for anyone considering a move from New York to Illinois.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

NY
381
IL
306
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

NY
1760
IL
1697

Illinois performs significantly better than New York across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

NY
5.0%
IL
6.8%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

NY
29.9%
IL
34.6%

New York performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

NY
$403,000
IL
$250,500
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

NY
$1,576
IL
$1,227

Illinois performs significantly better than New York across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

NY
89.7%
IL
89.6%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

NY
33 min
IL
28 min

New York generally does better on infrastructure, though Illinois leads in average commute.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

NY
4.4%
IL
4.8%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

NY
$91,992
IL
$70,691

New York generally does better on employment & economy, though Illinois leads in poverty rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

NY
77.7 yrs
IL
76.8 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

NY
28%
IL
26%

New York 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.

AlbanyRain: 39.4 in/yr (1000 mm)
58°/39°F

Avg. annual high / low

SpringfieldRain: 37.4 in/yr (951 mm)
63°/43°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsAlbanySpringfield
Jan–Mar37°/19°F (2°/-7°C)42°/25°F (6°/-4°C)
Apr–Jun68°/47°F (20°/8°C)74°/52°F (23°/11°C)
Jul–Sep78°/58°F (26°/14°C)83°/61°F (29°/16°C)
Oct–Dec48°/31°F (9°/-1°C)52°/33°F (11°/1°C)
View all months
MonthAlbanySpringfield
Jan31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C)35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C)
Feb35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C)40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C)
Mar44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C)52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C)
Apr58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C)65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C)
May69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C)75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C)
Jun78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C)83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C)
Jul82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C)86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C)
Aug80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C)85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C)
Sep72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C)79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C)
Oct60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C)66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C)
Nov48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C)52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C)
Dec36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C)38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than New York?

Yes — Illinois is on average about 14% cheaper than New York. 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 $16,055 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 New York across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Illinois compared to New York?

New York performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Illinois compared to New York?

The average high temperature in Springfield is 63°F, compared to 58°F in Albany. Springfield receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Albany gets 39.4 in.

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