2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago Metro, IL-IN to Sacramento-Roseville, CA

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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$114,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+14.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$1,406
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$156
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,562/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

Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA

COL 144.6
Gross Parity Income $114,900
Federal Income Tax -$16,448
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,790
State Income Tax -$6,297
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $81,872
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,516
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,356

EPI family budgets put living costs 14.9% higher in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $114,900 in Sacramento. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $1,793 in Sacramento, $156 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $1,406 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Sacramento. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,562 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $59,750 in Sacramento.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$1,793+$13+0.7%
Food & Groceries$385$384-$1-0.3%
Transportation$947$1,044+$97+10.2%
Healthcare$416$577+$161+38.7%
Other Necessities$572$640+$68+11.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$2,253+$118+5.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$13/mo (0.7%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom: $1,793/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$190/mo (9.4%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom: $2,201/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.15/hr (14.9%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom: $31.97/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.69/hr (19.3%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom: $28.95/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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$118,460+$9,070 (+8.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$171,460+$70,970 (+70.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,090$82,990-$22,100 (-21.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$92,110+$9,750 (+11.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,380$139,640+$5,260 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,810$163,090-$5,720 (-3.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,690$113,980-$44,710 (-28.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,760$165,270-$8,490 (-4.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$124,350+$19,030 (+18.1%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,230$54,450+$6,220 (+12.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$102,350$74,830-$27,520 (-26.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,090$159,350+$36,260 (+29.5%)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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Relocation FAQs

About $114,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 144.6 in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago Metro, IL-IN to Sacramento-Roseville, CA Overview

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 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 Sacramento-Roseville, CA 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA to match $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

About $114,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 144.6 in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 14.9% higher in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.