2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Florence, SC to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, 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 Florence, SC to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$128,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+28.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$561
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$9,516
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$10,077/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

Florence, SC

COL 98.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,244
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,936
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,844
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,092
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $128,000
Federal Income Tax -$19,454
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,792
State Income Tax -$6,191
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $92,563
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $71,203

EPI family budgets put living costs 28.0% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Florence, SC, so $100,000 in Florence goes about as far as $128,000 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $987 a month in Florence and $1,780 in Chicago, $9,516 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $561 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $10,077 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $43,520 in Florence 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 Florence (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$987$1,780+$793+80.3%
Food & Groceries$321$385+$64+19.9%
Transportation$1,076$947-$129-12.0%
Healthcare$429$416-$13-3.0%
Other Necessities$366$572+$206+56.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,089$2,135+$46+2.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$793/mo (80.3%)
Florence: $987/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$890/mo (79.4%)
Florence: $1,121/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.09/hr (28.0%)
Florence: $21.73/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.05/hr (26.3%)
Florence: $19.21/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 Florence Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$99,520$109,390+$9,870 (+9.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,170$100,490+$19,320 (+23.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$134,650$168,810+$34,160 (+25.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$72,040$82,360+$10,320 (+14.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$108,460$134,380+$25,920 (+23.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$86,620$105,090+$18,470 (+21.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,930$158,690+$36,760 (+30.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,120$173,760+$35,640 (+25.8%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$47,280$48,230+$950 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$87,400$105,320+$17,920 (+20.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,550$102,350+$44,800 (+77.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$154,620$165,340+$10,720 (+6.9%)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

Florence, SC to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $128,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.3 in Florence, SC, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Florence, SC to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Florence, SC
Relocation: Florence, SC to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Overview

Florence, SC to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Florence, SC to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, 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 Florence, SC?

About $128,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.3 in Florence, SC, 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 Florence, SC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 28.0% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Florence, SC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.