2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Peoria, IL to New Orleans-Metairie, LA

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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$106,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+6.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$2,191
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,216
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,025/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

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

COL 105.8
Gross Parity Income $106,200
Federal Income Tax -$14,534
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,124
State Income Tax -$2,800
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $80,742
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,748
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,994

EPI family budgets put living costs 6.2% higher in New Orleans-Metairie, LA than in Peoria, IL, so $100,000 in Peoria goes about as far as $106,200 in New Orleans. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $961 a month in Peoria and $1,229 in New Orleans, $3,216 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,191 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in New Orleans. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,025 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,590 in Peoria and $47,290 in New Orleans.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Peoria (Monthly) New Orleans-Metairie (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$961$1,229+$268+27.9%
Food & Groceries$353$365+$12+3.4%
Transportation$1,052$955-$97-9.2%
Healthcare$590$457-$133-22.5%
Other Necessities$332$446+$114+34.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$1,953-$182-8.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$268/mo (27.9%)
Peoria: $961/mo New Orleans-Metairie: $1,229/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$268/mo (22.1%)
Peoria: $1,212/mo New Orleans-Metairie: $1,480/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.37/hr (6.2%)
Peoria: $22.02/hr New Orleans-Metairie: $23.39/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.75/hr (-3.4%)
Peoria: $21.91/hr New Orleans-Metairie: $21.16/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Peoria Median New Orleans-Metairie Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,010$81,850+$840 (+1.0%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,290$105,110+$6,820 (+6.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,540$77,940-$1,600 (-2.0%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,960$63,270+$4,310 (+7.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$155,840$134,110-$21,730 (-13.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,460$62,490-$17,970 (-22.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$123,730$85,410-$38,320 (-31.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,590$106,950-$23,640 (-18.1%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$110,510$120,700+$10,190 (+9.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$56,770$60,360+$3,590 (+6.3%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$74,780$61,560-$13,220 (-17.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,530$95,100-$1,430 (-1.5%)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

Peoria, IL to New Orleans-Metairie, LA Relocation FAQs

About $106,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.6 in Peoria, IL, 105.8 in New Orleans-Metairie, LA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Peoria, IL to New Orleans-Metairie, LA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: New Orleans-Metairie, LA to Peoria, IL
Relocation: Peoria, IL to New Orleans-Metairie, LA Overview

Peoria, IL to New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in New Orleans-Metairie, LA to match $100,000 in Peoria, IL?

About $106,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.6 in Peoria, IL, 105.8 in New Orleans-Metairie, LA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is New Orleans-Metairie, LA cheaper than Peoria, IL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 6.2% higher in New Orleans-Metairie, LA than in Peoria, IL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.