Manhattan Kankakee

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Manhattan to Kankakee is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.2 to 96.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $278/mo.

+$716
BLS median salary higher in Kankakee
456 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.8:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$6,474
DOL infant care higher / 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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 90.2 → 96.4
Rent Delta: +$278/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - 6% higher cost of living
  • - $278/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 90.2 to 96.4, so the same paycheck buys less in Kankakee (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $278/mo ($3,336/yr) from $1,048 in Manhattan to $1,326 in Kankakee.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Kankakee sits #292 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Manhattan is #133/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $716 higher ($60,825 → $61,541). Labor-market size: 45,880 tracked jobs at origin vs 36,680 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Kansas 63 (C, #21/51) vs Illinois 58 (D, #31/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Manhattan
Kankakee
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 90.2
RPP 96.4
Manhattan
Rent (2BR)
$1,048/mo
$1,326/mo
Manhattan
Wages
$60,825
$61,541
Kankakee
Crime
456 per 100K
277 per 100K
Kankakee
Schools
13.8:1
14:1
Manhattan
Childcare
$5,783/yr
$12,257/yr
Manhattan
Environment
3819 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 · Kansas
63 C #21/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
61
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
54
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 Manhattan 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