2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$105,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+5.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$305
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,056
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,361/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

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT

COL 119.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,500
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,680
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,304
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,376
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $105,300
Federal Income Tax -$14,336
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,055
State Income Tax -$5,068
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $77,841
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,481

EPI family budgets put living costs 5.3% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, so $100,000 in Provo goes about as far as $105,300 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,192 a month in Provo and $1,780 in Chicago, $7,056 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $305 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,361 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,010 in Provo 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,192$1,780+$588+49.3%
Food & Groceries$343$385+$42+12.2%
Transportation$1,136$947-$189-16.6%
Healthcare$519$416-$103-19.8%
Other Necessities$468$572+$104+22.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,110$2,135+$25+1.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$588/mo (49.3%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $1,192/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$648/mo (47.5%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $1,363/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.40/hr (5.3%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $26.42/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.87/hr (8.4%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $22.39/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 Provo-Orem-Lehi Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$95,790$109,390+$13,600 (+14.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,780$100,490+$18,710 (+22.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$131,210$134,380+$3,170 (+2.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,700$82,360+$6,660 (+8.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$154,990$168,810+$13,820 (+8.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$63,690$105,090+$41,400 (+65.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,210$158,690+$23,480 (+17.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,730$173,760+$5,030 (+3.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$45,710$48,230+$2,520 (+5.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,180$105,320+$17,140 (+19.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,860$102,350+$41,490 (+68.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,630$165,340+$6,710 (+4.2%)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

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $105,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.5 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
Relocation: Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Overview

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?

About $105,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.5 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 5.3% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.