Chicago, IL vs San Jose, CA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $1,261 a month in Chicago.
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 $1,358, with San Jose higher.
Illinois taxes wages at a flat 4.95%. California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.0 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 1.22 percentage points, higher in Illinois.
After a move from Illinois to California, 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 Chicago lines up with about $79,943 in San Jose on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
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
San Jose
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $3,272
- HUD area
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,827
- All-items price parity
- 110.4
- Goods price parity
- 105.2
- Utilities price parity
- 156.7
- Mean commute
- 27.5 min
- Median household income
- $164,801
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.
$79,943
Salary in San Jose that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$79,918
Gross salary in San Jose whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$122,029
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 | Illinois | California |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 4.95% flat | up to 13.30% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 9.0% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.92% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $7,694 a year in Illinois and $2,828 in California. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in California
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Illinois and once in California. This is an illustration, not your application.
| Program | Chicago | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Chicago
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Chicago.
- Chicago and San Francisco · rent gap $1,686
- Chicago and Boston · rent gap $997
- Chicago and McAllen · rent gap $994
- Chicago and Wichita · rent gap $968
- Chicago and New York · rent gap $960
- Chicago and Los Angeles · rent gap $953
- Chicago and Little Rock · rent gap $890
- Chicago and Toledo · rent gap $866
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.