PlainRelocate

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.6 to 96.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $51/mo.

-$9,244
BLS median salary lower in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
277 to 602
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.4:1 to 15.2:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,397
DOL infant care lower / yr in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 103.6 → 96.3
Rent Delta: -$51/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 7% lower cost of living
  • + $51/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $9K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.6 to 96.3, so each dollar covers more in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $51/mo ($612/yr) from $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to $1,730 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin sits #337 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is #329/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,244 lower ($77,100 → $67,856). Labor-market size: 4,480,500 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,079,340 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Tennessee scores 66 (C, #17/51) vs Illinois at 58 (D, #31/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 103.6
RPP 96.3
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Rent (2BR)
$1,781/mo
$1,730/mo
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Wages
$77,100
$67,856
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Crime
277 per 100K
602 per 100K
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Schools
13.4:1
15.2:1
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Childcare
$12,257/yr
$7,860/yr
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Environment
3029 violations
1192 violations
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Illinois
58 D #31/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
46
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
46
Destination state · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to see what you'd need to earn in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
-
See the reverse: Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin → Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026