2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX to Chicago Metro, IL-IN

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$132,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+32.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,805
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$9,528
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$14,333/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

COL 95.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,832
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,348
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $132,300
Federal Income Tax -$20,486
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,121
State Income Tax -$6,404
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,289
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $73,929

EPI family budgets put living costs 32.3% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, so $100,000 in Beaumont goes about as far as $132,300 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $986 a month in Beaumont and $1,780 in Chicago, $9,528 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,805 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $14,333 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,630 in Beaumont and $54,720 in Chicago.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Beaumont-Port Arthur (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$986$1,780+$794+80.5%
Food & Groceries$311$385+$74+23.8%
Transportation$1,047$947-$100-9.6%
Healthcare$432$416-$16-3.7%
Other Necessities$381$572+$191+50.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,135+$400+23.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$794/mo (80.5%)
Beaumont-Port Arthur: $986/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$793/mo (65.1%)
Beaumont-Port Arthur: $1,218/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.79/hr (32.3%)
Beaumont-Port Arthur: $21.03/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$6.52/hr (36.8%)
Beaumont-Port Arthur: $17.74/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Beaumont-Port Arthur Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$97,470$109,390+$11,920 (+12.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,180$100,490+$19,310 (+23.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,680$82,360+$5,680 (+7.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$149,360$168,810+$19,450 (+13.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$124,470$134,380+$9,910 (+8.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$113,070$105,090-$7,980 (-7.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$122,990$158,690+$35,700 (+29.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$154,070$173,760+$19,690 (+12.8%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$51,430$48,230-$3,200 (-6.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,470$105,320+$4,850 (+4.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,380$102,350+$40,970 (+66.7%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,500$165,340+$35,840 (+27.7%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $132,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (95.1 in Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
Relocation: Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX to Chicago Metro, IL-IN Overview

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX to Chicago Metro, IL-IN compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to match $100,000 in Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX?

About $132,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (95.1 in Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN cheaper than Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 32.3% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.