2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Barnstable Town, MA

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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Barnstable Town, MA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$119,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+19.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$25
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,464
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,439/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

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,805
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,375
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $53,015
Target Market
Destination Location

Barnstable Town, MA

COL 150.8
Gross Parity Income $119,900
Federal Income Tax -$17,548
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,172
State Income Tax -$5,775
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $87,405
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$22,824
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,581

EPI family budgets put living costs 19.9% higher in Barnstable Town, MA than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $119,900 in Barnstable Town. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $1,902 in Barnstable Town, $1,464 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $25 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Barnstable Town. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,439 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $56,360 in Barnstable Town.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Barnstable Town (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$1,902+$122+6.9%
Food & Groceries$385$445+$60+15.6%
Transportation$947$1,122+$175+18.5%
Healthcare$416$459+$43+10.3%
Other Necessities$572$678+$106+18.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$2,133-$2-0.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$122/mo (6.9%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Barnstable Town: $1,902/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$477/mo (23.7%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Barnstable Town: $2,488/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.54/hr (19.9%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Barnstable Town: $33.36/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$6.13/hr (25.3%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Barnstable Town: $30.39/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Barnstable Town Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$100,590-$8,800 (-8.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$103,380+$2,890 (+2.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$96,110+$13,750 (+16.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,810$156,010-$12,800 (-7.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,380$133,690-$690 (-0.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,090$132,140+$27,050 (+25.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,690$140,740-$17,950 (-11.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,760$177,300+$3,540 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,230$59,730+$11,500 (+23.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$102,980-$2,340 (-2.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$102,350$78,570-$23,780 (-23.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,340$157,490-$7,850 (-4.7%)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

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Barnstable Town, MA Relocation FAQs

About $119,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 150.8 in Barnstable Town, MA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Barnstable Town, MA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Barnstable Town, MA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Barnstable Town, MA Overview

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Barnstable Town, MA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Barnstable Town, MA 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 Barnstable Town, MA to match $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

About $119,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 150.8 in Barnstable Town, MA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Barnstable Town, MA cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 19.9% higher in Barnstable Town, MA than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.