2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lewiston, ID-WA 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 Lewiston, ID-WA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$126,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+26.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$613
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$10,044
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$10,657/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

Lewiston, ID-WA

COL 99.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,192
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,988
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,316
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,672
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $126,000
Federal Income Tax -$18,974
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,639
State Income Tax -$6,092
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $91,295
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,935

EPI family budgets put living costs 26.0% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Lewiston, ID-WA, so $100,000 in Lewiston goes about as far as $126,000 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $943 a month in Lewiston and $1,780 in Chicago, $10,044 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $613 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $10,657 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,300 in Lewiston 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 Lewiston (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$943$1,780+$837+88.8%
Food & Groceries$409$385-$24-5.9%
Transportation$1,108$947-$161-14.5%
Healthcare$388$416+$28+7.2%
Other Necessities$411$572+$161+39.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,084$2,135+$51+2.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$837/mo (88.8%)
Lewiston: $943/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$777/mo (63.0%)
Lewiston: $1,234/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.75/hr (26.1%)
Lewiston: $22.07/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.42/hr (22.3%)
Lewiston: $19.84/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 Lewiston Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$79,030$109,390+$30,360 (+38.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$87,650$100,490+$12,840 (+14.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$123,400$168,810+$45,410 (+36.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,790$82,360+$4,570 (+5.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,310$134,380+$33,070 (+32.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$79,330$105,090+$25,760 (+32.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,630$158,690+$27,060 (+20.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$139,990$173,760+$33,770 (+24.1%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$43,790$48,230+$4,440 (+10.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$83,260$105,320+$22,060 (+26.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$77,130$102,350+$25,220 (+32.7%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$122,780$123,090+$310 (+0.3%)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

Lewiston, ID-WA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $126,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.8 in Lewiston, ID-WA, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lewiston, ID-WA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Lewiston, ID-WA
Relocation: Lewiston, ID-WA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Overview

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

About $126,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.8 in Lewiston, ID-WA, 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 Lewiston, ID-WA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 26.0% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Lewiston, ID-WA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.