2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY to Peoria, IL

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 Lexington-Fayette, KY to Peoria, IL.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$102,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+2.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$1,327
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,928
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,255/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

Lexington-Fayette, KY

COL 96.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,382
Local / City Tax -$2,750
Net Annual Take-Home $73,048
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,460
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,588
Target Market
Destination Location

Peoria, IL

COL 99.6
Gross Parity Income $102,700
Federal Income Tax -$13,764
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,857
State Income Tax -$4,939
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,141
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,609

EPI family budgets put living costs 2.7% higher in Peoria, IL than in Lexington-Fayette, KY, so $100,000 in Lexington goes about as far as $102,700 in Peoria. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,205 a month in Lexington and $961 in Peoria, $2,928 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $1,327 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Peoria. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,255 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,620 in Lexington and $49,590 in Peoria.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Lexington-Fayette (Monthly) Peoria (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,205$961-$244-20.2%
Food & Groceries$343$353+$10+2.9%
Transportation$1,030$1,052+$22+2.1%
Healthcare$444$590+$146+32.9%
Other Necessities$354$332-$22-6.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,246$2,135-$111-4.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$244/mo (-20.2%)
Lexington-Fayette: $1,205/mo Peoria: $961/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$204/mo (-14.4%)
Lexington-Fayette: $1,416/mo Peoria: $1,212/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.58/hr (2.7%)
Lexington-Fayette: $21.44/hr Peoria: $22.02/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.49/hr (7.3%)
Lexington-Fayette: $20.42/hr Peoria: $21.91/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Lexington-Fayette Median Peoria Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$79,040$81,010+$1,970 (+2.5%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$80,440$98,290+$17,850 (+22.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,780$79,540+$1,760 (+2.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,510$130,590+$7,080 (+5.7%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$44,340$56,770+$12,430 (+28.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,520$123,730+$39,210 (+46.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,320$80,460+$23,140 (+40.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$135,760$155,840+$20,080 (+14.8%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,890$110,510+$620 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$61,320$74,780+$13,460 (+22.0%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$53,680$58,960+$5,280 (+9.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,860$131,660+$6,800 (+5.4%)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

Lexington-Fayette, KY to Peoria, IL Relocation FAQs

About $102,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Lexington-Fayette, KY, 99.6 in Peoria, IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lexington-Fayette, KY to Peoria, IL: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Peoria, IL to Lexington-Fayette, KY
Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY to Peoria, IL Overview

Lexington-Fayette, KY to Peoria, IL: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY to Peoria, IL 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 Peoria, IL to match $100,000 in Lexington-Fayette, KY?

About $102,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Lexington-Fayette, KY, 99.6 in Peoria, IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Peoria, IL cheaper than Lexington-Fayette, KY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 2.7% higher in Peoria, IL than in Lexington-Fayette, KY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.