Eugene-Springfield Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Eugene-Springfield to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.6 to 103.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $93/mo.

+$6,877
BLS median salary higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
335 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$382
DOL infant care lower / 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.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 101.6 → 103.6
Rent Delta: +$93/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $7K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - $93/mo more expensive rent (2BR)

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 101.6 to 103.6 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $93/mo ($1,116/yr) from $1,688 in Eugene-Springfield to $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin sits #329 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Eugene-Springfield is #319/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,877 higher ($70,223 → $77,100). Labor-market size: 150,180 tracked jobs at origin vs 4,480,500 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Illinois scores 58 (D, #31/51) vs Oregon at 41 (F, #49/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Eugene-Springfield
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.6
RPP 103.6
Eugene-Springfield
Rent (2BR)
$1,688/mo
$1,781/mo
Eugene-Springfield
Wages
$70,223
$77,100
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Crime
335 per 100K
277 per 100K
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Schools
17.6:1
14:1
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Childcare
$12,639/yr
$12,257/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Environment
2683 violations
3029 violations
Eugene-Springfield

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 · Oregon
41 F #49/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
64
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
14
Destination state · Illinois
58 D #31/51
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 Eugene-Springfield to see what you'd need to earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
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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