Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas → Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $8K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - 3% higher cost of living
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 100.2 to 103.6 (100 = US average), so a Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas salary needs to be multiplied by 1.03 to hold the same purchasing power in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,735/month in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas to $1,781/month in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin - a higher monthly bill of $46, or $552/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $69,586 in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas versus $77,100 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin - a raw gap of $7,514 higher. The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin labor market has 4,480,500 tracked jobs against 1,114,750 in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin are 407 and 277 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 20.5:1 at origin versus 14:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $10,033/year in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas versus $12,257/year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin. Our composite verdict - Neutral — Depends on Priorities - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas to see what you'd need to earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin more expensive than Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas?
What are salaries like in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin compared to Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas?
Is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin safer than Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas?
How much would I need to earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to match my Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas salary?
What does the "Neutral — Depends on Priorities" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.