Farmington Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Farmington to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.7 to 103.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $696/mo.

+$18,003
BLS median salary higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
697 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

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: 87.7 → 103.6
Rent Delta: +$696/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $18K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - 16% higher cost of living
  • - $696/mo more expensive rent (2BR)

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.7 to 103.6, so the same paycheck buys less in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (ratio 1.18). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $696/mo ($8,352/yr) from $1,085 in Farmington to $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin sits #329 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Farmington is #170/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $18,003 higher ($59,097 → $77,100). Labor-market size: 41,940 tracked jobs at origin vs 4,480,500 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: New Mexico 59 (D, #28/51) vs Illinois 58 (D, #31/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Farmington
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 87.7
RPP 103.6
Farmington
Rent (2BR)
$1,085/mo
$1,781/mo
Farmington
Wages
$59,097
$77,100
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Crime
697 per 100K
277 per 100K
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Schools
14:1
14:1
Tie
Childcare
N/A
$12,257/yr
Tie
Environment
8034 violations
3029 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 · New Mexico
59 D #28/51
Income tax
78
Property tax
77
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
50
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 Farmington 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