Atlanta, GA vs Chicago, IL
Simple answer
You'd likely save $249 a month in Atlanta.
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 Census rent. Census median gross rent differs by $301, with Atlanta higher.
Georgia taxes wages at a flat 5.19%. Illinois taxes wages at a flat 4.95%. Combined sales tax differs by 1.5 percentage points, higher in Illinois. The effective property tax gap is 1.18 percentage points, higher in Illinois.
After a move from Georgia to Illinois, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: Marketplace premium tax credits, Medicaid and CHIP.
A $75,000 salary in Atlanta lines up with about $77,651 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.
Atlanta
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,762
- HUD area
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,770
- All-items price parity
- 100.1
- Goods price parity
- 100.4
- Utilities price parity
- 96.2
- Mean commute
- 32.4 min
- Median household income
- $92,344
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.
$77,651
Salary in Chicago that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$78,608
Gross salary in Chicago whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$85,599
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 | Georgia | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 5.19% flat | 4.95% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.5% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.74% | 1.92% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,976 a year in Georgia 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 Georgia and once in Illinois. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
AtlantaLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
AtlantaLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
WIC
AtlantaLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
School meals
AtlantaLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
LIHEAP
AtlantaMaybe
ChicagoMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
AtlantaLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
AtlantaLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
AtlantaLikely eligible
ChicagoUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
AtlantaLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
SSI
AtlantaUnlikely
ChicagoUnlikely
| Program | Atlanta | 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 | Likely eligible | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Marketplace premium tax credits changes. In Atlanta the result is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” In Chicago it is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” Illinois expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
Related comparisons
From Atlanta
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Atlanta.
- Atlanta and San Francisco · rent gap $1,935
- Atlanta and San Jose · rent gap $1,510
- Atlanta and Boston · rent gap $1,246
- Atlanta and New York · rent gap $1,209
- Atlanta and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,202
- Atlanta and San Diego · rent gap $1,061
- Atlanta and Miami · rent gap $802
- Atlanta and Seattle · rent gap $787
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.