Moving from Mississippi to Illinois: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Mississippi to Illinois.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from Mississippi to Illinois
Mississippi has a flat 4% income tax and Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,268 in state income tax in Mississippi and $4,805 in state income tax in Illinois. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $1,537 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $917 a month across Mississippi's metro areas and $1,053 across Illinois's (+14.9%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $42,404 in Mississippi and $54,104 in Illinois. 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 Mississippi & Illinois
Moving from Mississippi to Illinois on a $100,000 salary: pay $1,537 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,053 vs $917 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 $1,537 higher in Illinois than in Mississippi (1.5 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Illinois's metros is $1,053 a month, versus $917 in Mississippi (+14.9%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$3,174 a year.
Mississippi: Flat Tax, top rate 4%. Illinois: Flat Tax, top rate 4.95%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.