Moving from New Jersey to Illinois: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from New Jersey 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 New Jersey to Illinois
New Jersey has graduated income tax rates up to 10.75% and Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,180 in state income tax in New Jersey and $4,805 in state income tax in Illinois. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $625 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,820 a month across New Jersey's metro areas and $1,053 across Illinois's (-42.1%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $55,749 in New Jersey 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 New Jersey & Illinois
Moving from New Jersey to Illinois on a $100,000 salary: pay $625 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,053 vs $1,820 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 $625 higher in Illinois than in New Jersey (0.6 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Illinois's metros is $1,053 a month, versus $1,820 in New Jersey (-42.1%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$8,575 a year.
New Jersey: Graduated Brackets, top rate 10.75%. Illinois: Flat Tax, top rate 4.95%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.