Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Winchester
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to Winchester is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.6 to 96.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $208/mo.
- -$12,203
- BLS median salary lower in Winchester
- 277 to 223
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14:1 to 13.9:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,850
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Winchester
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.
Pros of Moving
- + 7% lower cost of living
- + $208/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $12K lower median salary
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.6 to 96.5, so each dollar covers more in Winchester (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $208/mo ($2,496/yr) from $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to $1,573 in Winchester.
Winchester leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Winchester sits #239 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is #329/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $12,203 lower ($77,100 → $64,897). Labor-market size: 4,480,500 tracked jobs at origin vs 60,660 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Illinois 58 (D, #31/51) vs Virginia 64 (C, #20/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 95
- Property tax
- 46
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 46
- Income tax
- 78
- Property tax
- 71
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 62
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 Winchester to maintain the same purchasing power.
Winchester 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