Columbus → Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Columbus to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 95.5 to 103.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $351/mo.
- +$6,103
- BLS median salary higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
- 293 to 277
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.4:1 to 13.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $466
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
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
- + $6K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - 8% higher cost of living
- - $351/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 95.5 to 103.6, so the same paycheck buys less in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (ratio 1.09). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $351/mo ($4,212/yr) from $1,430 in Columbus to $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin sits #329 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Columbus is #304/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,103 higher ($70,997 → $77,100). Labor-market size: 1,092,320 tracked jobs at origin vs 4,480,500 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Ohio 59 (D, #29/51) vs Illinois 58 (D, #31/51). 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
- 72
- Property tax
- 57
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 10
- Income tax
- 95
- Property tax
- 46
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 46
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 Columbus to see what you'd need to earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to maintain the same purchasing power.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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