Moving from Tennessee to Illinois: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Tennessee 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 Tennessee to Illinois
Tennessee has no state income tax on wages and Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $0 in state income tax in Tennessee and $4,805 in state income tax in Illinois. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $4,805 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $977 a month across Tennessee's metro areas and $1,053 across Illinois's (+7.8%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $47,793 in Tennessee 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 Tennessee & Illinois
Moving from Tennessee to Illinois on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,805 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,053 vs $977 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 higher in Illinois than in Tennessee (4.8 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Illinois's metros is $1,053 a month, versus $977 in Tennessee (+7.8%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$5,721 a year.
Tennessee: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Illinois: Flat Tax, top rate 4.95%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.