Longview Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Longview to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 89.5 to 103.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $582/mo.

+$18,386
BLS median salary higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
395 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.7:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,691
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.

Verdict
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 89.5 → 103.6
Rent Delta: +$582/mo

Pros of Moving

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

Cons of Moving

  • - 14% higher cost of living
  • - $582/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 89.5 to 103.6, so the same paycheck buys less in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (ratio 1.16). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $582/mo ($6,984/yr) from $1,199 in Longview 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). Longview is #151/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $18,386 higher ($58,714 → $77,100). Labor-market size: 109,710 tracked jobs at origin vs 4,480,500 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Texas 65 (C, #19/51) vs Illinois 58 (D, #31/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Longview
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 89.5
RPP 103.6
Longview
Rent (2BR)
$1,199/mo
$1,781/mo
Longview
Wages
$58,714
$77,100
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Crime
395 per 100K
277 per 100K
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Schools
14.7:1
14:1
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$12,257/yr
Longview
Environment
35693 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 · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
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 Longview 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