Moving from Illinois to Tennessee: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Illinois to Tennessee.
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 Tennessee
Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax and Tennessee 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 Tennessee. 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 $977 across Tennessee's (-7.2%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $54,104 in Illinois and $47,793 in Tennessee. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between Illinois & Tennessee
Moving from Illinois to Tennessee on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,805 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $977 vs $1,053 a month (HUD FMR).
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 Tennessee than in Illinois (4.8 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Tennessee's metros is $977 a month, versus $1,053 in Illinois (-7.2%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$5,721 a year.
Illinois: Flat Tax, top rate 4.95%. Tennessee: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.