Moving from Virginia to Illinois: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Virginia 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 Virginia to Illinois
Virginia has graduated income tax rates up to 5.75% and Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,936 in state income tax in Virginia and $4,805 in state income tax in Illinois. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $131 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,137 a month across Virginia's metro areas and $1,053 across Illinois's (-7.4%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $49,814 in Virginia 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 Virginia & Illinois
Moving from Virginia to Illinois on a $100,000 salary: pay $131 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,053 vs $1,137 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 $131 lower in Illinois than in Virginia (0.1 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Illinois's metros is $1,053 a month, versus $1,137 in Virginia (-7.4%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$1,136 a year.
Virginia: Graduated Brackets, top rate 5.75%. Illinois: Flat Tax, top rate 4.95%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.