2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Brunswick-St. Simons, GA 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 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$117,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+17.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$564
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,992
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$8,556/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

Brunswick-St. Simons, GA

COL 107.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,242
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,939
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,368
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,571
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $117,200
Federal Income Tax -$16,954
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,966
State Income Tax -$5,657
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $85,624
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,264

EPI family budgets put living costs 17.2% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Brunswick-St. Simons, GA, so $100,000 in Brunswick goes about as far as $117,200 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,114 a month in Brunswick and $1,780 in Chicago, $7,992 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $564 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $8,556 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $41,940 in Brunswick 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 Brunswick-St. Simons (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,114$1,780+$666+59.8%
Food & Groceries$367$385+$18+4.9%
Transportation$1,082$947-$135-12.5%
Healthcare$423$416-$7-1.7%
Other Necessities$421$572+$151+35.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,088$2,135+$47+2.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$666/mo (59.8%)
Brunswick-St. Simons: $1,114/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$633/mo (45.9%)
Brunswick-St. Simons: $1,378/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.09/hr (17.2%)
Brunswick-St. Simons: $23.73/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.28/hr (21.4%)
Brunswick-St. Simons: $19.98/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 Brunswick-St. Simons Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$84,770$109,390+$24,620 (+29.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,630$100,490+$17,860 (+21.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$134,230$168,810+$34,580 (+25.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,060$82,360+$7,300 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,170$134,380+$31,210 (+30.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$116,980$158,690+$41,710 (+35.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$156,230$173,760+$17,530 (+11.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$42,920$48,230+$5,310 (+12.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$77,070$105,320+$28,250 (+36.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,880$102,350+$43,470 (+73.8%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,110$123,090+$9,980 (+8.8%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$105,820$117,280+$11,460 (+10.8%)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

Brunswick-St. Simons, GA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $117,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.3 in Brunswick-St. Simons, GA, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Brunswick-St. Simons, GA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
Relocation: Brunswick-St. Simons, GA to Chicago Metro, IL-IN Overview

Brunswick-St. Simons, GA 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: Brunswick-St. Simons, GA 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 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA?

About $117,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.3 in Brunswick-St. Simons, GA, 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 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 17.2% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Brunswick-St. Simons, GA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.