Moving from Illinois to Florida
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Illinois and Florida, side by side.
Moving to Florida costs about
About the same
Illinois and Florida work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
Homes cost 1.4x more in Florida, but the tax rate is lower
Florida taxes property at 0.76% against 2.01% in Illinois. Despite the far higher prices, you would actually pay LESS property tax there: about $2,728 a year against $5,292.
Illinois vs Florida at a glance
| Illinois | Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $263,300 | $359,000 |
| Median rent | $1,274/mo | $1,669/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 4.95% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 2.01% | 0.76% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 104 | 98 |
| Utilities | 85 | 90 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | IL | FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,274 | $1,669 | +$395 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $318 | $0 | -$318 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $95 | $90 | -$5 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,904 | $1,798 | -$106 |
| Utilities | $347 | $368 | +$21 |
| Total | -$10 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,400 to $5,300
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $650 to $950, against roughly $250 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Chicago is not Illinois-average and Miami is not Florida-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.