Moving from Illinois to Georgia
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 Georgia, side by side.
Moving to Georgia costs about
About the same
Illinois and Georgia work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
Housing (median rent) is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Illinois to Georgia, housing (median rent) moves the most: about $119 a month more, which is most of the whole difference.
Illinois vs Georgia at a glance
| Illinois | Georgia | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $263,300 | $303,300 |
| Median rent | $1,274/mo | $1,393/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 4.95% | Flat 5.19% |
| Property tax rate | 2.01% | 0.77% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 104 | 99 |
| Utilities | 85 | 93 |
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 | GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,274 | $1,393 | +$119 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $318 | $294 | -$24 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $95 | $59 | -$36 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,904 | $1,814 | -$90 |
| Utilities | $347 | $379 | +$32 |
| Total | $0 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,000 to $4,500
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $550 to $800, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Chicago is not Illinois-average and Atlanta is not Georgia-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.