Moving from Maine to Illinois
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 Maine and Illinois, side by side.
Moving to Illinois costs about
About the same
Maine and Illinois work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
Utilities is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Maine to Illinois, utilities moves the most: about $205 a month less, which is most of the whole difference.
Maine vs Illinois at a glance
| Maine | Illinois | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $296,600 | $263,300 |
| Median rent | $1,139/mo | $1,274/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 7.15% | Flat 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.02% | 2.01% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 97 | 104 |
| Utilities | 135 | 85 |
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 | ME | IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,139 | $1,274 | +$135 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $354 | $318 | -$36 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $86 | $95 | +$9 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,781 | $1,904 | +$122 |
| UtilitiesBiggest factor | $552 | $347 | -$205 |
| Total | +$20 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,700 to $5,800
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $800 to $1,150, against roughly $450 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 3-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Portland is not Maine-average and Chicago is not Illinois-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.