Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Kankakee

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to Kankakee is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 113.6 to 96.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,275/mo.

-$20,735
BLS median salary lower in Kankakee
477 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
21.5:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$5,663
DOL infant care lower / yr in Kankakee

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 113.6 → 96.4
Rent Delta: -$1,275/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 17% lower cost of living
  • + $1275/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $21K lower median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 113.6 to 96.4, so each dollar covers more in Kankakee (ratio 0.85). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,275/mo ($15,300/yr) from $2,601 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to $1,326 in Kankakee.

Kankakee leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Kankakee sits #292 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim is #383/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $20,735 lower ($82,276 → $61,541). Labor-market size: 6,167,970 tracked jobs at origin vs 36,680 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Illinois scores 58 (D, #31/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Kankakee
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 113.6
RPP 96.4
Kankakee
Rent (2BR)
$2,601/mo
$1,326/mo
Kankakee
Wages
$82,276
$61,541
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Crime
477 per 100K
277 per 100K
Kankakee
Schools
21.5:1
14:1
Kankakee
Childcare
$17,920/yr
$12,257/yr
Kankakee
Environment
17705 violations
3029 violations
Kankakee

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 · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4
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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to see what you'd need to earn in Kankakee to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Kankakee
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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