2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Savannah, GA

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 Savannah, GA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$99,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-0.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$564
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,856
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,420/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

Savannah, GA

COL 125.5
Gross Parity Income $99,800
Federal Income Tax -$13,126
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,635
State Income Tax -$4,232
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,808
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,504
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,304

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.2% lower in Savannah, GA than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $99,800 in Savannah. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $1,542 in Savannah, $2,856 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $564 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Savannah. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,420 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $47,240 in Savannah.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Savannah (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$1,542-$238-13.4%
Food & Groceries$385$367-$18-4.7%
Transportation$947$1,069+$122+12.9%
Healthcare$416$491+$75+18.0%
Other Necessities$572$525-$47-8.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$2,088-$47-2.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$238/mo (-13.4%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Savannah: $1,542/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$332/mo (-16.5%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Savannah: $1,679/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.06/hr (-0.2%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Savannah: $27.76/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.02/hr (-8.3%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Savannah: $22.24/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 Savannah Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$83,990-$25,400 (-23.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$86,760-$13,730 (-13.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$79,790-$2,570 (-3.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,810$144,120-$24,690 (-14.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,380$123,220-$11,160 (-8.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,690$147,020-$11,670 (-7.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,760$159,660-$14,100 (-8.1%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,230$72,800+$24,570 (+50.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$98,930-$6,390 (-6.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$102,350$58,430-$43,920 (-42.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,340$142,710-$22,630 (-13.7%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$101,750$98,400-$3,350 (-3.3%)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 Savannah, GA Relocation FAQs

About $99,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 125.5 in Savannah, GA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Savannah, GA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Savannah, GA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Savannah, GA Overview

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Savannah, GA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Savannah, GA 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 Savannah, GA to match $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

About $99,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 125.5 in Savannah, GA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Savannah, GA cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 0.2% lower in Savannah, GA than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.