Moving to Illinois from Vermont
What to Expect
Considering a move from Vermont to Illinois? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Vermont to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 1.2% cheaper than Vermont. A $75,000 salary in Vermont would need to be roughly $74,100 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle. Burlington and Chicago are about 750 mi apart.
Is Illinois cheaper than Vermont?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 12.5% less
Groceries
pay 0.7% more
Transportation
pay 5.9% more
Housing
pay 6.4% less
Childcare
pay 17.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.0% 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 → $74,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Illinois compared to Vermont.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Vermont generally does better on safety, though Illinois leads in property crime rate.
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
Vermont performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Vermont generally does better on what about housing?, though Illinois leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Vermont generally does better on infrastructure, though Illinois leads in internet access.
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
Vermont 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
Vermont performs better than Illinois 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 Vermont
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Burlington | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 33°/15°F (0°/-10°C) | 38°/22°F (3°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/45°F (19°/7°C) | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/56°F (25°/14°C) | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/29°F (7°/-1°C) | 48°/32°F (9°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Burlington | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°/10°F (-2.7°/-12.1°C) | 31°/17°F (-0.6°/-8.6°C) |
| Feb | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.8°C) | 35°/20°F (1.8°/-6.6°C) |
| Mar | 40°/22°F (4.4°/-5.6°C) | 47°/29°F (8.1°/-1.6°C) |
| Apr | 55°/35°F (12.6°/1.6°C) | 59°/39°F (15.0°/3.8°C) |
| May | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.4°C) | 70°/48°F (21.1°/9.1°C) |
| Jun | 76°/55°F (24.6°/12.9°C) | 80°/58°F (26.5°/14.5°C) |
| Jul | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.7°C) | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) |
| Aug | 79°/58°F (26.1°/14.7°C) | 82°/63°F (27.7°/17.2°C) |
| Sep | 70°/51°F (21.3°/10.4°C) | 75°/54°F (23.8°/12.4°C) |
| Oct | 57°/39°F (14.0°/3.9°C) | 62°/43°F (16.8°/6.0°C) |
| Nov | 46°/31°F (7.5°/-0.6°C) | 48°/32°F (9.0°/0.2°C) |
| Dec | 33°/18°F (0.7°/-7.5°C) | 35°/21°F (1.6°/-6.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than Vermont?
Illinois and Vermont are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to Illinois?
Budget about $18,525 for 3 months in Illinois (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Illinois safe?
Vermont generally does better on safety, though Illinois leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to Vermont?
Vermont performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to Vermont?
The average high temperature in Chicago is 59°F, compared to 55°F in Burlington. Chicago receives around 36.9 in of rainfall per year, while Burlington gets 36.8 in.
