Moving to Illinois from Virginia
What to Expect
Considering a move from Virginia to Illinois? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Virginia to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 6.8% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $64,766 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Virginia and Illinois.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $64,766
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 10.7% less
Groceries
pay 18.1% less
Transportation
pay 0.6% more
Housing
pay 7.5% less
Childcare
pay 13.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.6% 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 10% less than cities in Virginia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Illinois compared to Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Virginia 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
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Illinois generally does better on what about housing?, though Virginia leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Virginia 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
Virginia 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
Virginia 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 | Richmond | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than Virginia?
On average Illinois is about 14% less expensive than Virginia, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Illinois?
Budget about $16,192 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?
Virginia performs better than Illinois across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to Virginia?
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Springfield is 63°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Springfield receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
