Akron, OH vs Chicago, IL
Simple answer
You'd likely save $780 a month in Akron.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $780: Chicago is higher at $2,011 versus $1,231.
Ohio taxes wages at a flat 2.75%. Illinois taxes wages at a flat 4.95%. Combined sales tax differs by 1.7 percentage points, higher in Illinois. The effective property tax gap is 0.70 percentage points, higher in Illinois.
After a move from Ohio to Illinois, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Akron lines up with about $83,213 in Chicago on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Akron
Akron, OH
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,231
- HUD area
- Akron, OH MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,059
- All-items price parity
- 93.4
- Goods price parity
- 93.6
- Utilities price parity
- 96.4
- Mean commute
- 23.5 min
- Median household income
- $71,364
Chicago
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,011
- HUD area
- Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,469
- All-items price parity
- 103.6
- Goods price parity
- 107.3
- Utilities price parity
- 83.6
- Mean commute
- 30.9 min
- Median household income
- $90,770
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$83,213
Salary in Chicago that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$87,070
Gross salary in Chicago whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$122,522
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Ohio | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 2.75% flat | 4.95% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.3% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.22% | 1.92% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,899 a year in Ohio and $7,694 in Illinois. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Illinois
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Ohio and once in Illinois. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
AkronLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
AkronLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
WIC
AkronLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
School meals
AkronLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
LIHEAP
AkronMaybe
ChicagoMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
AkronLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
AkronLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
AkronUnlikely
ChicagoUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
AkronLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
SSI
AkronUnlikely
ChicagoUnlikely
| Program | Akron | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Akron
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Akron.
- Akron and San Francisco · rent gap $2,466
- Akron and San Jose · rent gap $2,041
- Akron and Boston · rent gap $1,777
- Akron and New York · rent gap $1,740
- Akron and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,733
- Akron and San Diego · rent gap $1,592
- Akron and Miami · rent gap $1,333
- Akron and Seattle · rent gap $1,318
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.