2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Idaho Falls, 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 Idaho Falls, ID.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$87,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-12.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$613
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$8,592
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$9,205/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

Idaho Falls, ID

COL 110.1
Gross Parity Income $87,500
Federal Income Tax -$10,420
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,694
State Income Tax -$3,529
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $66,857
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,768
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,089

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.5% lower in Idaho Falls, ID than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $87,500 in Idaho Falls. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $1,064 in Idaho Falls, $8,592 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 Idaho Falls. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $9,205 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $46,800 in Idaho Falls.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Idaho Falls (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$1,064-$716-40.2%
Food & Groceries$385$363-$22-5.7%
Transportation$947$1,133+$186+19.6%
Healthcare$416$414-$2-0.5%
Other Necessities$572$434-$138-24.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$2,084-$51-2.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$716/mo (-40.2%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Idaho Falls: $1,064/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$737/mo (-36.6%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Idaho Falls: $1,274/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$3.47/hr (-12.5%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Idaho Falls: $24.35/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.72/hr (-15.3%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Idaho Falls: $20.54/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 Idaho Falls Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$80,380-$29,010 (-26.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$84,110-$16,380 (-16.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,810$128,500-$40,310 (-23.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$74,410-$7,950 (-9.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,380$123,450-$10,930 (-8.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,090$82,690-$22,400 (-21.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,690$131,680-$27,010 (-17.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,760$166,110-$7,650 (-4.4%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,230$41,320-$6,910 (-14.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$102,250-$3,070 (-2.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$102,350$65,350-$37,000 (-36.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,340$135,560-$29,780 (-18.0%)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 Idaho Falls, ID Relocation FAQs

About $87,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 110.1 in Idaho Falls, ID, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Idaho Falls, ID to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Idaho Falls, ID Overview

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Idaho Falls, 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 Idaho Falls, 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 Idaho Falls, ID to match $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

About $87,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 110.1 in Idaho Falls, ID, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Idaho Falls, ID cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.5% lower in Idaho Falls, ID than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.