Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.6 to 110.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $912/mo.

-$2,020
BLS median salary lower in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
277 to 477
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14:1 to 21.5:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$5,663
DOL infant care higher / yr in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 103.6 → 110.5
Rent Delta: +$912/mo

Cons of Moving

  • - 7% higher cost of living
  • - $912/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $2K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 103.6 to 110.5, so the same paycheck buys less in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $912/mo ($10,944/yr) from $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to $2,693 in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin still leads on 7 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura sits #384 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is #329/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,020 lower ($77,100 → $75,080). Labor-market size: 4,480,500 tracked jobs at origin vs 310,050 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Illinois scores 58 (D, #31/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 103.6
RPP 110.5
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Rent (2BR)
$1,781/mo
$2,693/mo
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Wages
$77,100
$75,080
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Crime
277 per 100K
477 per 100K
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Schools
14:1
21.5:1
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Childcare
$12,257/yr
$17,920/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Environment
3029 violations
17705 violations
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

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 · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4

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 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
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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