2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 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 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$142,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+42.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$1,531
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$9,780
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$11,311/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

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

COL 88.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,148
Local / City Tax -$126
Net Annual Take-Home $75,906
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,580
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,326
Target Market
Destination Location

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

COL 125.8
Gross Parity Income $142,200
Federal Income Tax -$22,862
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,878
State Income Tax -$6,894
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $101,566
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $80,206

EPI family budgets put living costs 42.2% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Sioux City, IA-NE-SD, so $100,000 in Sioux City goes about as far as $142,200 in Chicago. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $965 a month in Sioux City and $1,780 in Chicago, $9,780 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $1,531 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Chicago. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $11,311 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,030 in Sioux City 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 Sioux City (Monthly) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$965$1,780+$815+84.5%
Food & Groceries$327$385+$58+17.7%
Transportation$1,085$947-$138-12.7%
Healthcare$432$416-$16-3.7%
Other Necessities$324$572+$248+76.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,008$2,135+$127+6.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$815/mo (84.5%)
Sioux City: $965/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $1,780/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$817/mo (68.4%)
Sioux City: $1,194/mo Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $2,011/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$8.26/hr (42.2%)
Sioux City: $19.56/hr Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $27.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.88/hr (32.0%)
Sioux City: $18.38/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 Sioux City Median Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$90,230$109,390+$19,160 (+21.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$75,840$100,490+$24,650 (+32.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$78,650$82,360+$3,710 (+4.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$134,510$168,810+$34,300 (+25.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,150$134,380+$33,230 (+32.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,910$105,090+$11,180 (+11.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$132,150$158,690+$26,540 (+20.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,570$173,760+$38,190 (+28.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$54,800$48,230-$6,570 (-12.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,130$105,320+$20,190 (+23.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$73,910$102,350+$28,440 (+38.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,410$165,340+$45,930 (+38.5%)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

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Relocation FAQs

About $142,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (88.5 in Sioux City, IA-NE-SD, 125.8 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
Relocation: Sioux City, IA-NE-SD to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Overview

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 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: Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 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 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD?

About $142,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (88.5 in Sioux City, IA-NE-SD, 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 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 42.2% higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN than in Sioux City, IA-NE-SD. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.