Leaving a big city
Leaving Chicago: Where People Move and What You Save
By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Published November 6, 2026.
Leaving Chicago: the short answer
Leaving Chicago is a different decision from leaving New York or Washington. The Chicago metro's median listed home is $389,450, only 7% below the US median, and its median 2-bedroom rents for $1,648 (Census ACS, 2025). What sets Chicago apart is the tax bill: Illinois has the second-highest average effective property tax rate in the country, and its 4.95% income tax is higher than in Indiana and Florida, two of the three most common destinations. Here is how many people are leaving Chicago, where they go, and where leaving saves money, including the places it does not.
How many people are leaving Chicago and Illinois
The Chicago metro lost 33,708 residents to other parts of the US on net between July 2024 and July 2025source. Statewide, more than 280,000 people left Illinois for another state in 2024 and more than 200,000 moved insource. The Census Bureau's estimates show a net loss every year in our series:
| Year (July to July) | Illinois net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2024-25 | -40,017 |
| 2023-24 | -53,080 |
| 2022-23 | -79,784 |
| 2021-22 | -149,904 |
| 2020-21 | -108,364 |
| 2019-20 | -113,205 |
| 2018-19 | -104,056 |
| 2017-18 | -113,775 |
| 2016-17 | -114,690 |
| 2015-16 | -113,193 |
People who moved in from other states minus people who moved out. US Census Bureau estimates via the Maryland Department of Planning; 2024-25 is Vintage 2025.
The loss peaked at 149,904 in 2021-22. It has shrunk every year since, and 2024-25's 40,017 is the smallest in the series. Illinois is still losing people, but far fewer than it did before the pandemic.
Home prices are not why people leave Chicago
Some of the most popular destinations cost more to buy into than Chicago. Here is what the median home costs in five of them:
| Metro | Median listed home | Monthly payment vs Chicago | 2-bedroom rent vs Chicago | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago metro | $389,450 | $2,140 (baseline) | $1,648 (baseline) | 103.6 |
| Nashville, TN | $533,995 | $794 more | $18 more | 96.3 |
| Austin, TX | $446,450 | $313 more | $188 more | 98.1 |
| Raleigh, NC | $445,000 | $305 more | $25 more | 98.2 |
| Charlotte, NC | $424,950 | $195 more | $59 less | 97.3 |
| Atlanta, GA | $415,000 | $140 more | $133 more | 100.1 |
Listings: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Payment: principal and interest with 20% down at 7.32%source. Rent: Census ACS, 2025. Price level: BEA regional price parities, 2024, US = 100.
A Chicago family moving to Nashville, Austin, Raleigh, Charlotte or Atlanta pays more for the median home, and 4 of the 5 have higher median rents. What they do get is a lower overall price level: 5 of the 5 sit below Chicago's 103.6, which covers goods, services and utilities as well as housing. Tennessee and Texas also do not tax wages. If your reason for leaving is a cheaper house, these cities are the wrong place to look.
Property tax: the Illinois bill that moves the math
Illinois's average effective property tax rate is 2.01%, second only to New Jersey's 2.11%source. Applied to the Chicago metro's median listing, that rate comes to about $7,828 a year, or $652 a month on top of the mortgage (our arithmetic on the state average; your county, township and school district set the real bill). The same arithmetic on the median Indianapolis home at Indiana's 0.74% gives $2,294 a year.
Here is how Illinois compares with the states Chicago families move to:
| State | Tax on wages, 2026 | State income tax on $150,000 | Average effective property tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 4.95% flat | $7,425 | 2.01% |
| Indiana | 2.95% flat, plus county tax | $4,425 | 0.74% |
| Wisconsin | Graduated, top 7.65% | $7,346 | 1.42% |
| Michigan | 4.25% flat | $6,375 | 1.25% |
| Ohio | 2.75% above $26,050 | $3,409 | 1.31% |
| Pennsylvania | 3.07% flat | $4,605 | 1.3% |
| Alabama | Graduated, top 5% | $7,460 | 0.38% |
| South Carolina | Graduated, top 5.21% | $6,849 | 0.48% |
| Florida | None | $0 | 0.76% |
Income tax: Tax Foundation 2026 table, single filer; Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Florida from their revenue departments. Dollar amounts are our arithmetic before deductions, credits and local income taxes. Property tax: WalletHub, February 2026, via CPA Practice Advisor.
That is why the Chicago comparison has to include taxes. A household that stays in Illinois and moves to a cheaper suburb or downstate keeps the high property tax rate. Statewide, the Illinois median listing is $324,950 and BEA puts the state's overall price level at 100.0, against the Chicago metro's 103.6 (2024).
Jobs in Chicago
The Chicago metro had 4,768,500 nonfarm jobs in September 2026, down 0.1% from a year earlier, and an unemployment rate of 4.4%. The largest sectors are trade, transportation and utilities (930,100), professional and business services (814,400), education and health services (805,600)source. That is a large job market that barely changed in size over the year. Moving to a smaller metro means fewer employers in your field, so the move works best for households that keep their income through remote work or have an offer in hand.
Where people from Chicago move
Close by, mostly. In 2024 the top destinations for people leaving Illinois were Indiana (25,700), Florida (24,400) and Wisconsin (24,000) (USAFacts, from the Census Bureau's 2024 state-to-state flows). The flow also runs the other way: Texas, California, Wisconsin and Indiana each sent more than 14,000 people to Illinois in 2024.
The short moves: Indiana and Wisconsin
Indiana is the most common move, and the numbers show why. The state taxes wages at a flat 2.95% in 2026source, and counties add their own local income taxsource. Indiana's statewide median listing is $299,000 and its median 2-bedroom rent is $1,218 (Census ACS, 2025). Indianapolis lists the median home at $310,000, and you can weigh it against Columbus on our Columbus vs Indianapolis page. The Indy region also runs a relocation program: Step Into Life in the Indy Region ($7,500 in benefits).
Wisconsin is a closer call on taxes. Its income tax is graduated with a 7.65% top rate, and its average effective property tax rate is 1.42% (Tax Foundation; WalletHub). Both are better than Illinois on property tax, but above about $172,000 of taxable income a single filer pays more state income tax in Wisconsin than in Illinois (our arithmetic on the 2026 brackets). The statewide median listing is $389,900, close to Chicago's. Smaller cities are where Wisconsin gets cheaper: Fond du Lac lists the median home at $339,900 and pays remote workers to move through Live & Work in Fond du Lac ($5,500 cash).
Leaving Chicago for Florida
Florida is the second most common destination for people leaving Illinois. It does not tax personal incomesource, so a household with $150,000 of taxable income keeps the $7,425 it would owe Illinois at 4.95%. Florida's average effective property tax rate is 0.76%, less than half of Illinois's 2.01%source. Sales tax is 6% at the state level, and counties add a surtax of 0.5% to 2.5%source.
The housing gap is small. Tampa lists the median home at $385,398, about $22 a month less to finance than Chicago's median, and Tampa's median 2-bedroom rent of $1,861 is $213 higher than Chicago's. BEA puts Tampa's housing index at 125.8 against Chicago's 112.0 (2024). The Tampa metro also lost domestic movers on net in the latest Census estimates:
Between July 2024 and July 2025, 1,539 more people left the Tampa metro for elsewhere in the US than moved insource.
The trade is winter for summer. In Tampa:
January lows average 52.8°F and July highs 91°F, with 49.48 inches of total precipitation in a typical yearsource.
For a Chicago homeowner, the Florida case rests on taxes. For a Chicago renter, it costs more each month in rent, and the income tax saving has to cover that gap. Our Tampa guide covers the rest of the trade-offs.
Cities cheaper than Chicago
| Metro | Median listed home | Monthly payment | 2-bedroom rent | Price level | Housing index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh, PA | $245,000 | $1,346 | $1,185 | 94.7 | 72.0 |
| Detroit, MI | $274,950 | $1,511 | $1,398 | 100.3 | 94.7 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $310,000 | $1,704 | $1,397 | 95.7 | 88.9 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | $339,900 | $1,868 | $991 | 91.6 | 67.3 |
| Huntsville, AL | $364,900 | $2,005 | $1,350 | 93.1 | 77.9 |
| Columbus, OH | $374,950 | $2,061 | $1,528 | 95.5 | 87.9 |
| Greenville, SC | $382,450 | $2,102 | $1,279 | 93.3 | 76.8 |
| Tampa, FL | $385,398 | $2,118 | $1,861 | 100.9 | 125.8 |
Median listed home: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Monthly payment: principal and interest with 20% down at 7.32% (Freddie Mac, week of October 22, 2026), before taxes and insurance. Rent: median gross rent for a 2-bedroom, utilities includedsource. Price level and housing index: BEA regional price parities, 2024, US = 100.
Here is the yearly picture for each one: the mortgage saving, plus the change in property tax and state income tax for a household with $150,000 of taxable income.
| City | Mortgage saving per year | Property tax saving | State income tax saving | Total per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago metro | $2,140 a month (baseline) | $7,828 a year (baseline) | $7,425 (baseline) | Baseline |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $9,526 | $4,643 | $2,820 | $16,989 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $5,239 | $5,534 | $3,000 | $13,773 |
| Detroit, MI | $7,551 | $4,391 | $1,050 | $12,992 |
| Tampa, FL | $267 | $4,899 | $7,425 | $12,591 |
| Huntsville, AL | $1,619 | $6,441 | $35 more | $8,025 |
| Columbus, OH | $956 | $2,916 | $4,016 | $7,889 |
| Greenville, SC | $462 | $5,992 | $576 | $7,030 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | $3,268 | $3,001 | $79 | $6,347 |
Our arithmetic. Mortgage: principal and interest on each metro's median listed home (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026), 20% down at 7.32%, against $2,140 a month for Chicago. Property tax: each state's average effective rate (WalletHub, February 2026) applied to the metro median listing. Income tax: 2026 state rates for a single filer on $150,000 of taxable income (Tax Foundation; SC, PA and FL revenue departments), before deductions, credits and local income taxes such as Indiana county tax, Pennsylvania local earned income tax and Michigan and Ohio city taxes.
Two honest caveats. The home-price gap is small at the bottom of the list: Tampa saves only $22 a month on the mortgage, so nearly all of its advantage is tax. And renters gain less than buyers: Tampa has a higher median 2-bedroom rent than Chicago's $1,648 (Census ACS, 2025).
Is leaving Chicago worth it?
For a homeowner or buyer who keeps their income, yes, in the right places: Pittsburgh comes out about $16,989 a year ahead in our arithmetic, and Pittsburgh has the biggest mortgage saving at $794 a month. For a renter, the case is weaker, because Chicago rents are close to the national median and several destinations charge more. For a family whose heart is set on Nashville, Austin or Raleigh, go for the jobs, the weather or the lower overall price level, not for a cheaper house.
See every city we track on our moving from Chicago page, compare state costs on our Indiana cost of living page and our cheapest places to live in Indiana, read the Pittsburgh and Tampa guides, or take the quiz. When you are ready, start with how to move to another state.