Boston, MA → Chicago, IL
You'd keep $484 more a month in Chicago
+$5,808 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | Boston | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,042 | $8,184 | −$857 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,416 | $2,121 | −$294 |
| Take-home pay | $6,626 | $6,063 | −$563 |
| Rent | $2,619 | $1,828 | −$791 |
| Getting around | $445 | $392 | −$53 |
| Groceries | $464 | $408 | −$56 |
| Healthcare | $522 | $459 | −$63 |
| Utilities | $290 | $255 | −$35 |
| Everything else | $406 | $357 | −$49 |
| Left over | $1,880 | $2,364 | +$484 |
To break even in Chicago, you'd need to earn
$89,500
Household gross, versus $108,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Boston does now.
The tax difference alone
+$481
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 26.7% in Boston, 25.9% in Chicago.
Boston, MA in full
Great pay in medicine and research, brutal winters, tight housing stock.
Chicago, IL in full
World-class city amenities at Midwest home prices, funded by 2.1% property tax.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Chicago on Chicago wages.
Chicago → Boston →Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.