Moving to Illinois from Washington
What to Expect
Considering a move from Washington to Illinois? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Washington to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 6.2% cheaper than Washington. A $75,000 salary in Washington would need to be roughly $66,276 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Washington and Illinois.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,276
To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 10.8% less
Groceries
pay 9.5% less
Transportation
pay 6.4% less
Housing
pay 10.7% less
Childcare
pay 6.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.7% 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 18% less than cities in Washington.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Illinois compared to Washington.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois performs significantly better than Washington 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
Washington 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
Illinois performs significantly better than Washington across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington 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
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Illinois leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington 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 | Olympia | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Olympia | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) |
| Mar | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) |
| May | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) |
| Jun | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) |
| Jul | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) |
| Sep | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) |
| Oct | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) |
| Dec | 44°/33°F (6.8°/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 Washington?
On average Illinois is about 12% less expensive than Washington, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Illinois?
Budget about $16,569 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?
Illinois performs significantly better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Illinois compared to Washington?
Washington performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Illinois compared to Washington?
The average high temperature in Springfield is 63°F, compared to 60°F in Olympia. Springfield receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Olympia gets 50.0 in.
