2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dayton-Kettering, OH to Chicago Metro, IL-IN

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 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$139,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+39.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$324
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$9,264
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$9,588/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

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH

COL 90.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$1,981
Local / City Tax -$2,500
Net Annual Take-Home $74,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,096
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,603
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $139,400
Federal Income Tax -$22,190
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,664
State Income Tax -$6,756
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $99,790
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,430

EPI family budgets put living costs 39.4% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH, so $100,000 in Dayton goes about as far as $139,400 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,008 a month in Dayton and $1,780 in Chicago, $9,264 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $324 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $9,588 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,980 in Dayton and $54,720 in Chicago.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,008$1,780+$772+76.6%
Food & Groceries$338$385+$47+13.9%
Transportation$982$947-$35-3.6%
Healthcare$432$416-$16-3.7%
Other Necessities$347$572+$225+64.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,108$2,135+$27+1.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$772/mo (76.6%)
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek: $1,008/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$763/mo (61.1%)
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek: $1,248/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.86/hr (39.4%)
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek: $19.96/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.13/hr (20.5%)
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek: $20.13/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $24.26/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,030$109,390+$11,360 (+11.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,510$100,490+$17,980 (+21.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$106,910$134,380+$27,470 (+25.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,030$82,360+$3,330 (+4.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,140$168,810+$31,670 (+23.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,150$105,090+$3,940 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,450$158,690+$25,240 (+18.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$160,040$173,760+$13,720 (+8.6%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,700$48,230+$1,530 (+3.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,130$105,320+$7,190 (+7.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,870$102,350+$40,480 (+65.4%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,560$123,090+$19,530 (+18.9%)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

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $139,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (90.3 in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
Relocation: Dayton-Kettering, OH to Chicago Metro, IL-IN Overview

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Dayton-Kettering, OH to Chicago Metro, IL-IN 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to match $100,000 in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH?

About $139,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (90.3 in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN cheaper than Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 39.4% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.