2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago Metro, IL-IN to Dayton-Kettering, OH

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 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$71,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-28.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$324
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$9,264
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$9,588/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

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH

COL 90.3
Gross Parity Income $71,800
Federal Income Tax -$6,966
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,493
State Income Tax -$1,199
Local / City Tax -$1,795
Net Annual Take-Home $56,347
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,096
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,251

EPI family budgets put living costs 28.2% lower in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $71,800 in Dayton. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $1,008 in Dayton, $9,264 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $324 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dayton. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $9,588 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $49,980 in Dayton.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$1,008-$772-43.4%
Food & Groceries$385$338-$47-12.2%
Transportation$947$982+$35+3.7%
Healthcare$416$432+$16+3.8%
Other Necessities$572$347-$225-39.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$2,108-$27-1.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$772/mo (-43.4%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek: $1,008/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$763/mo (-37.9%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek: $1,248/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$7.86/hr (-28.3%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek: $19.96/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$4.13/hr (-17.0%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek: $20.13/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 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$98,030-$11,360 (-10.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$82,510-$17,980 (-17.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,380$106,910-$27,470 (-20.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$79,030-$3,330 (-4.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,810$137,140-$31,670 (-18.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,090$101,150-$3,940 (-3.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,690$133,450-$25,240 (-15.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,760$160,040-$13,720 (-7.9%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,230$46,700-$1,530 (-3.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$98,130-$7,190 (-6.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$102,350$61,870-$40,480 (-39.6%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,090$103,560-$19,530 (-15.9%)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 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Relocation FAQs

About $71,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 90.3 in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago Metro, IL-IN to Dayton-Kettering, OH Overview

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Chicago Metro, IL-IN to Dayton-Kettering, OH 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 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH to match $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

About $71,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 90.3 in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 28.2% lower in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.