Moving from Illinois to New Hampshire: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Illinois to New Hampshire.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from Illinois to New Hampshire
Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax and New Hampshire has no state income tax on wages. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,805 in state income tax in Illinois and $0 in state income tax in New Hampshire. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $4,805 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,053 a month across Illinois's metro areas and $1,651 across New Hampshire's (+56.8%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $54,104 in Illinois and $56,530 in New Hampshire. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
New Hampshire Paycheck & Living Costs
Metropolitan Corridors Between Illinois & New Hampshire
Moving from Illinois to New Hampshire on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,805 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,651 vs $1,053 a month (HUD.
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $4,805 lower in New Hampshire than in Illinois (4.8 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across New Hampshire's metros is $1,651 a month, versus $1,053 in Illinois (+56.8%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$2,375 a year.
Illinois: Flat Tax, top rate 4.95%. New Hampshire: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.