2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Peoria, IL to Lexington-Fayette, KY

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 Peoria, IL to Lexington-Fayette, KY.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$97,300
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

Peoria, IL

COL 99.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,805
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,375
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,843
Target Market
Destination Location

Lexington-Fayette, KY

COL 96.9
Gross Parity Income $97,300
Federal Income Tax -$12,576
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,443
State Income Tax -$3,288
Local / City Tax -$2,676
Net Annual Take-Home $71,317
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,460
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,857

EPI family budgets put living costs 2.7% lower in Lexington-Fayette, KY than in Peoria, IL, so $100,000 in Peoria goes about as far as $97,300 in Lexington. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $961 a month in Peoria and $1,205 in Lexington, $2,928 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $1,327 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Lexington. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,255 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,590 in Peoria and $48,620 in Lexington.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Peoria (Monthly) Lexington-Fayette (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$961$1,205+$244+25.4%
Food & Groceries$353$343-$10-2.8%
Transportation$1,052$1,030-$22-2.1%
Healthcare$590$444-$146-24.7%
Other Necessities$332$354+$22+6.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$2,246+$111+5.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$244/mo (25.4%)
Peoria: $961/mo Lexington-Fayette: $1,205/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$204/mo (16.8%)
Peoria: $1,212/mo Lexington-Fayette: $1,416/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.58/hr (-2.6%)
Peoria: $22.02/hr Lexington-Fayette: $21.44/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.49/hr (-6.8%)
Peoria: $21.91/hr Lexington-Fayette: $20.42/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Peoria Median Lexington-Fayette Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,010$79,040-$1,970 (-2.4%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,290$80,440-$17,850 (-18.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,540$77,780-$1,760 (-2.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,590$123,510-$7,080 (-5.4%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$56,770$44,340-$12,430 (-21.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$123,730$84,520-$39,210 (-31.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,460$57,320-$23,140 (-28.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$155,840$135,760-$20,080 (-12.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$110,510$109,890-$620 (-0.6%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$74,780$61,320-$13,460 (-18.0%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,960$53,680-$5,280 (-9.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,660$124,860-$6,800 (-5.2%)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

Peoria, IL to Lexington-Fayette, KY Relocation FAQs

About $97,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.6 in Peoria, IL, 96.9 in Lexington-Fayette, KY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Peoria, IL to Lexington-Fayette, KY: 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: Peoria, IL to Lexington-Fayette, KY 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY to match $100,000 in Peoria, IL?

About $97,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.6 in Peoria, IL, 96.9 in Lexington-Fayette, KY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

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

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