2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Boise City, ID

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 Boise City, ID.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$96,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-3.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$613
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$5,820
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$6,433/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

Boise City, ID

COL 121.3
Gross Parity Income $96,400
Federal Income Tax -$12,378
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,375
State Income Tax -$4,001
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,646
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,540
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,106

EPI family budgets put living costs 3.6% lower in Boise City, ID than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $96,400 in Boise City. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $1,295 in Boise City, $5,820 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $613 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Boise City. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,433 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $49,100 in Boise City.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Boise City (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$1,295-$485-27.2%
Food & Groceries$385$394+$9+2.3%
Transportation$947$1,075+$128+13.5%
Healthcare$416$388-$28-6.7%
Other Necessities$572$526-$46-8.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$2,084-$51-2.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$485/mo (-27.2%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Boise City: $1,295/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$471/mo (-23.4%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Boise City: $1,540/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.00/hr (-3.6%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Boise City: $26.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.33/hr (-1.4%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Boise City: $23.93/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 Boise City Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$83,680-$25,710 (-23.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$97,880-$2,610 (-2.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$76,700-$5,660 (-6.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,380$131,590-$2,790 (-2.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,810$131,130-$37,680 (-22.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,090$86,390-$18,700 (-17.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,690$141,440-$17,250 (-10.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,760$161,990-$11,770 (-6.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$98,580-$6,740 (-6.4%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,230$49,820+$1,590 (+3.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$102,350$61,610-$40,740 (-39.8%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,090$124,330+$1,240 (+1.0%)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 Boise City, ID Relocation FAQs

About $96,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 121.3 in Boise City, ID, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Boise City, ID: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Boise City, ID to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Boise City, ID Overview

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Boise City, ID: 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 Boise City, ID 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 Boise City, ID to match $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

About $96,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 121.3 in Boise City, ID, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Boise City, ID cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 3.6% lower in Boise City, ID than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.