2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Utica-Rome, NY

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 Utica-Rome, NY.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$86,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-13.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$55
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$10,008
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$9,953/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

Utica-Rome, NY

COL 108.8
Gross Parity Income $86,500
Federal Income Tax -$10,200
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,617
State Income Tax -$4,074
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $65,609
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,352
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,257

EPI family budgets put living costs 13.5% lower in Utica-Rome, NY than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, so $100,000 in Chicago goes about as far as $86,500 in Utica. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,780 a month in Chicago and $946 in Utica, $10,008 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $55 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Utica. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $9,953 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,720 in Chicago and $48,970 in Utica.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Utica-Rome (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,780$946-$834-46.9%
Food & Groceries$385$350-$35-9.1%
Transportation$947$1,048+$101+10.7%
Healthcare$416$611+$195+46.9%
Other Necessities$572$395-$177-30.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$2,140+$5+0.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$834/mo (-46.9%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo Utica-Rome: $946/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$801/mo (-39.8%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo Utica-Rome: $1,210/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$3.75/hr (-13.5%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr Utica-Rome: $24.07/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.02/hr (-4.2%)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr Utica-Rome: $23.24/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 Utica-Rome Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$98,350-$11,040 (-10.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$94,300-$6,190 (-6.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,360$79,830-$2,530 (-3.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,810$144,760-$24,050 (-14.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,380$113,390-$20,990 (-15.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,090$86,870-$18,220 (-17.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,690$159,610+$920 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,760$160,000-$13,760 (-7.9%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,230$48,810+$580 (+1.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,320$100,430-$4,890 (-4.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$102,350$61,660-$40,690 (-39.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,340$143,660-$21,680 (-13.1%)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 Utica-Rome, NY Relocation FAQs

About $86,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 108.8 in Utica-Rome, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Utica-Rome, NY: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Utica-Rome, NY to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Relocation: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Utica-Rome, NY Overview

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Utica-Rome, NY: 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 Utica-Rome, NY 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 Utica-Rome, NY to match $100,000 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

About $86,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 108.8 in Utica-Rome, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Utica-Rome, NY cheaper than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 13.5% lower in Utica-Rome, NY than in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.