2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Orlando-Kissimmee, FL to Chicago Metro, 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$95,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-4.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,805
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$648
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,453/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

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

COL 131.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$20,712
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,468
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $95,600
Federal Income Tax -$12,202
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,313
State Income Tax -$4,587
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $71,497
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $50,137

EPI family budgets put living costs 4.4% lower in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, so $100,000 in Orlando goes about as far as $95,600 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,726 a month in Orlando and $1,780 in Chicago, $648 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,805 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,453 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,630 in Orlando 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,726$1,780+$54+3.1%
Food & Groceries$372$385+$13+3.5%
Transportation$1,041$947-$94-9.0%
Healthcare$492$416-$76-15.4%
Other Necessities$623$572-$51-8.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,135+$400+23.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$54/mo (3.1%)
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $1,726/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$52/mo (2.7%)
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $1,959/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.29/hr (-4.4%)
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $29.11/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.48/hr (2.0%)
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $23.78/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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$100,440$109,390+$8,950 (+8.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,550$100,490+$16,940 (+20.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,620$134,380+$4,760 (+3.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$78,630$82,360+$3,730 (+4.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$140,850$168,810+$27,960 (+19.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,420$105,090+$4,670 (+4.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,390$105,320+$8,930 (+9.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,770$158,690+$26,920 (+20.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$171,210$173,760+$2,550 (+1.5%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$45,630$48,230+$2,600 (+5.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$50,820$102,350+$51,530 (+101.4%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,390$123,090+$13,700 (+12.5%)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

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $95,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (131.6 in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Relocation: Orlando-Kissimmee, FL to Chicago Metro, IL-IN Overview

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Orlando-Kissimmee, FL to Chicago Metro, 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?

About $95,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (131.6 in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 4.4% lower in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.