Moving from Maine to Illinois
Maine to Illinois is a move of about 1,348 miles. Median rent is $1,274 a month in Illinois and $1,139 in Maine, and the median home is $263,300 against $296,600. State income tax is a flat 4.95% in Illinois and up to 7.15% in Maine. Property tax runs 2.01% of home value in Illinois and 1.02% in Maine.
Moving to Illinois costs
About the same
Maine and Illinois work out within $50/mo of each other, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
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 value | $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.
Monthly cost of living: Maine vs Illinois
| 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 | +$123 |
| UtilitiesBiggest factor | $552 | $347 | -$205 |
| Total | +$26 | ||
Cost to move from Maine to Illinois
$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
What jobs pay in Illinois, after the cost of living
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.