2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Bismarck, ND

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 Bismarck, ND.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$74,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-25.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,136
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$10,236
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$14,372/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

Bismarck, ND

COL 94.1
Gross Parity Income $74,800
Federal Income Tax -$7,626
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,722
State Income Tax -$178
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $61,274
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $50,150

EPI family budgets put living costs 25.2% lower in Bismarck, ND than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $74,800 in Bismarck. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $927 in Bismarck, $10,236 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,136 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Bismarck. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $14,372 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $52,560 in Bismarck.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Bismarck (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$927-$853-47.9%
Food & Groceries$385$350-$35-9.1%
Transportation$947$1,105+$158+16.7%
Healthcare$416$406-$10-2.4%
Other Necessities$572$366-$206-36.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$1,791-$344-16.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$853/mo (-47.9%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Bismarck: $927/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$944/mo (-46.9%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Bismarck: $1,067/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$7.02/hr (-25.2%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Bismarck: $20.80/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$5.33/hr (-22.0%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Bismarck: $18.93/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 Bismarck Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$93,540-$15,850 (-14.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$81,120-$19,370 (-19.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$76,910-$5,450 (-6.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,810$133,370-$35,440 (-21.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,380$106,020-$28,360 (-21.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,090$90,590-$14,500 (-13.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,690$101,660-$57,030 (-35.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,760$151,020-$22,740 (-13.1%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,230$63,910+$15,680 (+32.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$88,650-$16,670 (-15.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$102,350$61,900-$40,450 (-39.5%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$101,750$71,520-$30,230 (-29.7%)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 Bismarck, ND Relocation FAQs

About $74,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 94.1 in Bismarck, ND, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Bismarck, ND: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Bismarck, ND to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Bismarck, ND Overview

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

About $74,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 94.1 in Bismarck, ND, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Bismarck, ND cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 25.2% lower in Bismarck, ND than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.