Moving to Illinois from Puerto Rico
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Puerto Rico to Illinois — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Puerto Rico to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 50.0% more expensive than Puerto Rico overall. A $75,000 salary in Puerto Rico would need to be roughly $79,350 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Puerto Rico to Illinois.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $79,350
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 28.2% more
Groceries
pay 1.0% less
Transportation
pay 43.6% more
Housing
pay 34.1% more
Childcare
pay 2.9 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 44.0% 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.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Puerto Rico to Illinois, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Puerto Rico to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
-
5.1,829,251
Puerto Rico
- 1,410,659
Key Indicator Comparison
How Puerto Rico and Illinois stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Illinois performs significantly better than Puerto Rico across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
Illinois performs significantly better than Puerto Rico across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Puerto Rico performs better than Illinois across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Puerto Rico and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
United States passport holder visiting Puerto Rico
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than Puerto Rico?
Day-to-day costs in Illinois run about 6% higher than Puerto Rico on average; specific cities can swing further.
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 $19,838 in Illinois for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Illinois?
Working remotely from Illinois's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Puerto Rico and Illinois.
What language do they speak in Illinois?
The official language in Illinois is English. In Puerto Rico, the official languages are English and Spanish.
