2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Omaha, NE-IA 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 Omaha, NE-IA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$116,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+16.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$1,135
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,732
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,867/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

Omaha, NE-IA

COL 108.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,670
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,628
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,882
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $116,100
Federal Income Tax -$16,712
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,882
State Income Tax -$5,602
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $84,904
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,544

EPI family budgets put living costs 16.1% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Omaha, NE-IA, so $100,000 in Omaha goes about as far as $116,100 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,219 a month in Omaha and $1,780 in Chicago, $6,732 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $1,135 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,867 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,660 in Omaha 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 Omaha (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,219$1,780+$561+46.0%
Food & Groceries$359$385+$26+7.2%
Transportation$1,069$947-$122-11.4%
Healthcare$513$416-$97-18.9%
Other Necessities$419$572+$153+36.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,041$2,135+$94+4.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$561/mo (46.0%)
Omaha: $1,219/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$561/mo (38.7%)
Omaha: $1,450/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.86/hr (16.1%)
Omaha: $23.96/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.32/hr (10.6%)
Omaha: $21.94/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 Omaha Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$90,620$109,390+$18,770 (+20.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,600$100,490+$15,890 (+18.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,030$82,360+$5,330 (+6.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$140,390$168,810+$28,420 (+20.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$125,220$134,380+$9,160 (+7.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$81,740$105,090+$23,350 (+28.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$145,500$173,760+$28,260 (+19.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,100$158,690+$28,590 (+22.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$49,030$48,230-$800 (-1.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,460$105,320+$22,860 (+27.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,440$102,350+$39,910 (+63.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$112,870$165,340+$52,470 (+46.5%)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

Omaha, NE-IA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $116,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.3 in Omaha, NE-IA, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Omaha, NE-IA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Omaha, NE-IA
Relocation: Omaha, NE-IA to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Overview

Omaha, NE-IA 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: Omaha, NE-IA 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 Omaha, NE-IA?

About $116,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.3 in Omaha, NE-IA, 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 Omaha, NE-IA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 16.1% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Omaha, NE-IA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.