Moving from Illinois to Hawaii
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 Hawaii, side by side.
Moving to Hawaii costs about
+$1,300/mo
more than Illinois each month, renting
Worth knowing
Homes cost 3.2x more in Hawaii, but the tax rate is lower
Hawaii taxes property at 0.27% against 2.01% in Illinois. Despite the far higher prices, you would actually pay LESS property tax there: about $2,266 a year against $5,292.
Illinois vs Hawaii at a glance
| Illinois | Hawaii | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $263,300 | $839,100 |
| Median rent | $1,274/mo | $1,971/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 4.95% | Up to 11.00% |
| Property tax rate | 2.01% | 0.27% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 104 | 112 |
| Utilities | 85 | 190 |
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 | HI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,274 | $1,971 | +$697 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $318 | $379 | +$61 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $95 | $70 | -$25 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,904 | $2,045 | +$142 |
| Utilities | $347 | $777 | +$430 |
| Total | +$1,300 | ||
What the move itself costs
$5,900 to $12,600
A move involving Hawaii goes by sea rather than road, so the range is wider and rougher.
Shipping one car adds about $1,350 to $2,250.
These are statewide figures. Chicago is not Illinois-average and Honolulu is not Hawaii-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.