Uprootmap

45 metros leave you better off than Chicago

Registered nurse earning $98,500 in Chicago, IL. One adult, renting a 1-bedroom. You keep $2,380 a month today.

Your best overall match

Seattle, WA

+$1,026/mo (+$12,312 a year) versus Chicago

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1

Seattle, WA

No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.

No state income taxCar optional

Left over monthly

$3,406

+$1,026 vs today

Local pay
$112,571
Rent (1br)
$1,761/mo
Take-home
$7,298/mo
Everything else
$2,131/mo
Money left over
100
Sun and mild weather
49
Access to the outdoors
92
City life and culture
82
A short commute
45
2

Austin, TX

No income tax, but property taxes are among the steepest anywhere.

No state income tax

Left over monthly

$3,176

+$796 vs today

Local pay
$97,562
Rent (1br)
$1,226/mo
Take-home
$6,418/mo
Everything else
$2,016/mo
Money left over
90
Sun and mild weather
66
Access to the outdoors
74
City life and culture
80
A short commute
55
3

Houston, TX

The cheapest housing of any top-10 metro, paid for in property tax and humidity.

No state income tax

Left over monthly

$3,159

+$779 vs today

Local pay
$95,686
Rent (1br)
$1,199/mo
Take-home
$6,308/mo
Everything else
$1,950/mo
Money left over
89
Sun and mild weather
63
Access to the outdoors
56
City life and culture
76
A short commute
45
4

Dallas, TX

No income tax, endless new construction, and a 1.5% property tax bill.

No state income tax

Left over monthly

$3,044

+$664 vs today

Local pay
$95,686
Rent (1br)
$1,263/mo
Take-home
$6,308/mo
Everything else
$2,001/mo
Money left over
84
Sun and mild weather
70
Access to the outdoors
58
City life and culture
76
A short commute
50
5

Denver, CO

Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.

Left over monthly

$2,654

+$274 vs today

Local pay
$99,438
Rent (1br)
$1,490/mo
Take-home
$6,217/mo
Everything else
$2,073/mo
Money left over
67
Sun and mild weather
72
Access to the outdoors
96
City life and culture
76
A short commute
55
6

Salt Lake City, UT

Four ski resorts inside an hour and a 23-minute average commute.

Left over monthly

$2,567

+$187 vs today

Local pay
$92,871
Rent (1br)
$1,269/mo
Take-home
$5,791/mo
Everything else
$1,955/mo
Money left over
63
Sun and mild weather
70
Access to the outdoors
96
City life and culture
66
A short commute
75
7

Sioux Falls, SD

No income tax, an 18-minute commute, and nothing to do in February.

No state income tax18-min commute

Left over monthly

$2,950

+$570 vs today

Local pay
$87,243
Rent (1br)
$1,005/mo
Take-home
$5,813/mo
Everything else
$1,858/mo
Money left over
80
Sun and mild weather
51
Access to the outdoors
50
City life and culture
44
A short commute
100
8

Huntsville, AL

Aerospace and defense engineering salaries against Alabama's cost of living.

Left over monthly

$2,833

+$453 vs today

Local pay
$92,871
Rent (1br)
$1,046/mo
Take-home
$5,772/mo
Everything else
$1,893/mo
Money left over
75
Sun and mild weather
70
Access to the outdoors
66
City life and culture
46
A short commute
75
9

Raleigh, NC

Research Triangle salaries, low taxes, and not much to do downtown.

Left over monthly

$2,754

+$374 vs today

Local pay
$94,748
Rent (1br)
$1,249/mo
Take-home
$5,963/mo
Everything else
$1,960/mo
Money left over
72
Sun and mild weather
70
Access to the outdoors
66
City life and culture
66
A short commute
65
10

Des Moines, IA

Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.

20-min commute

Left over monthly

$2,896

+$516 vs today

Local pay
$90,057
Rent (1br)
$1,005/mo
Take-home
$5,739/mo
Everything else
$1,838/mo
Money left over
78
Sun and mild weather
54
Access to the outdoors
50
City life and culture
52
A short commute
90
11

Minneapolis, MN

Strong wages, good bones, and a January that averages 9°F at night.

Left over monthly

$2,764

+$384 vs today

Local pay
$99,438
Rent (1br)
$1,369/mo
Take-home
$6,087/mo
Everything else
$1,954/mo
Money left over
72
Sun and mild weather
45
Access to the outdoors
78
City life and culture
78
A short commute
60
12

El Paso, TX

297 sunny days and the lowest rents in Texas, on the lowest wages.

No state income tax297 sunny days

Left over monthly

$2,561

+$181 vs today

Local pay
$79,738
Rent (1br)
$995/mo
Take-home
$5,373/mo
Everything else
$1,817/mo
Money left over
63
Sun and mild weather
94
Access to the outdoors
70
City life and culture
46
A short commute
75
13

Albuquerque, NM

High desert, 278 sunny days, and housing that's still cheap.

278 sunny days

Left over monthly

$2,368

−$12 vs today

Local pay
$84,429
Rent (1br)
$1,131/mo
Take-home
$5,409/mo
Everything else
$1,910/mo
Money left over
55
Sun and mild weather
92
Access to the outdoors
88
City life and culture
54
A short commute
75
14

Nashville, TN

No income tax and a real music and healthcare economy; traffic is the tax.

No state income tax

Left over monthly

$2,668

+$288 vs today

Local pay
$90,995
Rent (1br)
$1,399/mo
Take-home
$6,033/mo
Everything else
$1,966/mo
Money left over
68
Sun and mild weather
68
Access to the outdoors
68
City life and culture
78
A short commute
55
15

Tucson, AZ

Phoenix weather and hiking at a serious discount, on lower wages.

286 sunny days

Left over monthly

$2,518

+$138 vs today

Local pay
$83,490
Rent (1br)
$1,022/mo
Take-home
$5,450/mo
Everything else
$1,910/mo
Money left over
61
Sun and mild weather
81
Access to the outdoors
84
City life and culture
54
A short commute
70
16

Washington, DC

Recession-resistant government and consulting pay, humid summers, real transit.

Car optional

Left over monthly

$2,900

+$520 vs today

Local pay
$116,324
Rent (1br)
$1,929/mo
Take-home
$6,931/mo
Everything else
$2,102/mo
Money left over
78
Sun and mild weather
67
Access to the outdoors
66
City life and culture
86
A short commute
20
17

Las Vegas, NV

No income tax, low property tax, and an economy tied to tourism.

No state income tax294 sunny days

Left over monthly

$2,547

+$167 vs today

Local pay
$88,181
Rent (1br)
$1,279/mo
Take-home
$5,868/mo
Everything else
$2,042/mo
Money left over
63
Sun and mild weather
77
Access to the outdoors
76
City life and culture
72
A short commute
60
18

Phoenix, AZ

A 2.5% flat income tax, cheap housing for a big metro, and a genuinely dangerous July.

299 sunny days

Left over monthly

$2,576

+$196 vs today

Local pay
$90,995
Rent (1br)
$1,276/mo
Take-home
$5,874/mo
Everything else
$2,022/mo
Money left over
64
Sun and mild weather
75
Access to the outdoors
78
City life and culture
66
A short commute
60
19

San Antonio, TX

Among the cheapest big-city rents in the country, with the highest property tax rate here.

No state income tax

Left over monthly

$2,832

+$452 vs today

Local pay
$87,243
Rent (1br)
$1,052/mo
Take-home
$5,813/mo
Everything else
$1,929/mo
Money left over
75
Sun and mild weather
67
Access to the outdoors
54
City life and culture
64
A short commute
55
20

Reno, NV

No income tax and Tahoe in 45 minutes; home prices have caught on.

No state income tax22-min commute

Left over monthly

$2,313

−$67 vs today

Local pay
$88,181
Rent (1br)
$1,539/mo
Take-home
$5,868/mo
Everything else
$2,016/mo
Money left over
52
Sun and mild weather
81
Access to the outdoors
90
City life and culture
56
A short commute
80
Show the remaining 46 metros

Showing the top 20 of 66 by best fit for you.

Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. Every figure is an estimate, not a quote. See exactly how it's calculated.