State relocation profile · Federal data
Illinois
Cost of living, fair-market rent, wages, safety, schools and childcare for Illinois from federal sources.
- 100.0
- Cost index (US=100)
- $1,063
- 2BR rent / mo
- $74,900
- Median salary
- 51.7
- Life Score
The verdict
As of June 2026, Illinois ranks #24 of 51 scored US states on the composite Life Score (51.7/100, D), with its strongest marks in rent and wages.
- #24 of 51
- Life Score among scored states
- 51.7
- Life Score · D
- 100.0
- Cost of living (US=100)
- $74,900
- Median annual salary (BLS)
Weakest dimension: environment (30/100). State-level figures are a benchmark, individual metros can diverge sharply, so weigh each dimension against your own priorities.
According to PlainRelocate's state Life Score composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA inputs), Illinois ranks #24 of 51 scored US states by Life Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 100.0 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,063/mo, median salary $74,900; Life Score 51.7/100 (D), strongest in rent and wages.
Signature: BEA RPP 100.0 sits mid-pack (#33 of 51 states); cost is not the extreme signal here.
Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 100.0 between corpus terciles 93.3 and 100.7. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent averages $1,063/mo statewide, against a BLS median salary of $74,900.
Composite Life Score 51.7/100 (D) sits mid-pack (#24 of 51).
Metro book is dense (8 MSAs); drill a named metro before treating the state average as a destination.
Life Score plate
Sheet IL · Illinois 51.7/100 · D · #24 of 51
LIFE-D · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · RPP-PAR · LEAD-RENT · BOOK-FULL
- LIFE-D Life Score D
- RANK-MID #24/51
- PHOTO-FINISH ±0.4 pts
- RPP-PAR RPP 100.0
- LEAD-RENT Lead · rent
- BOOK-FULL 7/7 dims
Nearest Life Score peer: Arkansas (+ 0.4 pts)
Instrument codes from this state’s Life Score grade, corpus rank, peer gap, BEA RPP posture, lead dimension, and dimension book, not a moving recommendation.
Life Score neighbourhood around Illinois
Lowest/highest poles plus states nearest Illinois on composite Life Score. Full ladder: /rankings/.
Illinois childcare costs
DOL state-average center rates for Illinois (infant $12,257/yr leads the book).
Illinois Life Score breakdown
Illinois composites to 51.7/100 (D) across 7 of 7 dimensions; corpus place #24 of 51.
Illinois - Life Score dimensions
Percentile vs all US states (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)
- Rent
Rent
72 /100
- Wages
Wages
70 /100
- Safety
Safety
54 /100
- Schools
Schools
54 /100
- Cost of living
Cost of living
36 /100
- Childcare
Childcare
32 /100
- Environment
Environment
30 /100
What this shows Illinois's strongest dimensions are rent and wages; its weakest among scored dims is environment at 30/100. Each dimension is a federal-data percentile; the composite folds 7 of 7 into one comparable figure.
States near Illinois on cost or Life Score
Nearest neighbors to Illinois on BEA RPP or composite Life Score, a different lens than the in-state metro list below.
Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)
Metros in Illinois
Explore detailed relocation data for 8 metropolitan areas in Illinois. Illinois contains 8 metropolitan statistical areas in our dataset - Bloomington, Champaign-Urbana, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and more - each with its own rent, wage and crime profile that can diverge sharply from the statewide average.
Bloomington metro · Compare metros · Cost vs quality · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Illinois cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Illinois wages and safety follow BLS OEWS and FBI UCR. Research use only, verify at the agency source before you move.