2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Eagle Pass, TX

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 Eagle Pass, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$70,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-30.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,805
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$10,188
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$14,993/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

Eagle Pass, TX

COL 88.1
Gross Parity Income $70,000
Federal Income Tax -$6,570
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,355
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $58,075
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,172
Discretionary Cash Flow $46,903

EPI family budgets put living costs 30.0% lower in Eagle Pass, TX than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $70,000 in Eagle Pass. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $931 in Eagle Pass, $10,188 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,805 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Eagle Pass. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $14,993 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $35,560 in Eagle Pass.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Eagle Pass (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$931-$849-47.7%
Food & Groceries$385$273-$112-29.1%
Transportation$947$1,103+$156+16.5%
Healthcare$416$451+$35+8.4%
Other Necessities$572$312-$260-45.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$1,735-$400-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$849/mo (-47.7%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Eagle Pass: $931/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$997/mo (-49.6%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Eagle Pass: $1,014/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$8.33/hr (-29.9%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Eagle Pass: $19.49/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$7.72/hr (-31.8%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Eagle Pass: $16.54/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 Eagle Pass Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$73,540-$35,850 (-32.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$73,660-$26,830 (-26.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$65,900-$16,460 (-20.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$69,550-$35,770 (-34.0%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,090$99,360-$23,730 (-19.3%)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 Eagle Pass, TX Relocation FAQs

About $70,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 88.1 in Eagle Pass, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Eagle Pass, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Eagle Pass, TX to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Eagle Pass, TX Overview

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Eagle Pass, TX: 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 Eagle Pass, TX 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 Eagle Pass, TX to match $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

About $70,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 88.1 in Eagle Pass, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Eagle Pass, TX cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 30.0% lower in Eagle Pass, TX than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.