2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI to Peoria, IL.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$99,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-0.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$378
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,188
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$810/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

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

COL 100.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,428
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,752
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,720
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,032
Target Market
Destination Location

Peoria, IL

COL 99.6
Gross Parity Income $99,100
Federal Income Tax -$12,972
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,581
State Income Tax -$4,761
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,786
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,254

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.9% lower in Peoria, IL than in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, so $100,000 in Milwaukee goes about as far as $99,100 in Peoria. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,060 a month in Milwaukee and $961 in Peoria, $1,188 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $378 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Peoria. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $810 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,160 in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha (Monthly) Peoria (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,060$961-$99-9.3%
Food & Groceries$364$353-$11-3.0%
Transportation$951$1,052+$101+10.6%
Healthcare$457$590+$133+29.1%
Other Necessities$405$332-$73-18.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,104$2,135+$31+1.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$99/mo (-9.3%)
Milwaukee-Waukesha: $1,060/mo Peoria: $961/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$51/mo (-4.0%)
Milwaukee-Waukesha: $1,263/mo Peoria: $1,212/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.20/hr (-0.9%)
Milwaukee-Waukesha: $22.22/hr Peoria: $22.02/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.42/hr (-1.9%)
Milwaukee-Waukesha: $22.33/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 Milwaukee-Waukesha Median Peoria Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,360$81,010-$16,350 (-16.8%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,490$98,290-$27,200 (-21.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,290$79,540-$750 (-0.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,730$130,590+$6,860 (+5.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,350$123,730+$23,380 (+23.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$156,100$155,840-$260 (-0.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$77,800$80,460+$2,660 (+3.4%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$49,180$56,770+$7,590 (+15.4%)View Dossier
CNC MachinistIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$60,320$51,680-$8,640 (-14.3%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,390$58,960-$430 (-0.7%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$72,680$74,780+$2,100 (+2.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,560$131,660-$12,900 (-8.9%)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

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI to Peoria, IL Relocation FAQs

About $99,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.5 in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 99.6 in Peoria, IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI to Peoria, IL: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Peoria, IL to Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Relocation: Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI to Peoria, IL Overview

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 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: Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?

About $99,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.5 in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 99.6 in Peoria, IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Peoria, IL cheaper than Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 0.9% lower in Peoria, IL than in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.