Texas vs. Illinois: what changes when you leave Chicago.

Side by side

Where we could, we used the same source for both states. Rent is the exception: the Chicago figure is Zillow’s and the Texas figures are Apartment List medians, so read the gap as a rough guide, not an exact one.

The property tax rows mix sources because no single free source we could open had both a Cook County and a Texas figure on the same basis. Texas metro counties often run above the statewide 1.49%; see Texas property taxes for local rates. BEA’s next price-parity release, with 2025 data, is due Dec 10, 2026, and we will update these rows then.

Worked example: $90,000 in salary

This counts only state income tax, for a single filer with $90,000 in wages and one personal exemption, using 2026 rules. It leaves out federal tax (the same in both states), sales tax, property tax and any credits or other deductions.

So the move is worth about $4,310 a year in state income tax at this salary. Chicago has no city income tax, so that is the whole difference on this line. Two things eat into it. Texas car insurance averages about $500 a year more than Illinois ($2,329 vs. $1,826). And if you buy a home, Texas property tax at the statewide median runs $4,232 a year. Rent is where most Chicago renters gain the most: the gap between Chicago’s $2,079 median 1-bedroom and Dallas’s $1,207 is $872 a month, or about $10,500 a year, though the two figures come from different sources.

What surprises people coming from Chicago

Dallas isn’t cheaper overall

BEA puts DFW’s overall price level at 103.1, within a point of the Chicago metro’s 103.6 (2024 data). The savings in Dallas come mostly from taxes and rent. If you want lower everyday prices, San Antonio (94.7) and El Paso (89.9) are well below both.

You’ll drive more, and insurance costs more

Gas is about $1.27 a gallon cheaper in Texas than in Chicago (EIA, week of Oct 26, 2026). But Houston’s average car insurance, $2,696, is about $620 more than Chicago’s. Registration and the new-resident fee are on our moving checklist and vehicle costs page.

Cheaper power per kWh, bigger summer bills

Texas residential electricity averaged 15.9¢/kWh in August 2026 against 19.3¢ in Illinois. Air conditioning runs for months, though, so compare the whole year, not the rate. In most of Texas you also choose your own provider; see Texas electricity.

Home insurance is a bigger line

The Texas Department of Insurance puts the average Texas homeowners premium at $3,489 for 2025 (preliminary). We don’t have an Illinois figure on the same basis, but budget for it. See Texas insurance.

Out-of-date numbers you’ll still find online

A note on the tax burden figures: the Tax Foundation’s newest state-local burden numbers are still for calendar year 2022, even in its May 2026 Facts & Figures. They are the latest available, not stale copies.

The Chicago side

Our sister site, chicagocostofliving.com, tracks Chicago costs the same way, with every number sourced. Useful pages before you go: rent by ZIP code, the Cook County property tax bill explained, and ComEd and Peoples Gas bills. On this site, start with the Texas city comparison, the moving checklist and child care costs.

How we check

Every figure links to its source and shows the date it applies to. We prefer the agency that produces the number and label anything from a marketplace or aggregator, such as the Experian and ElectricRates.org figures here. Read the full methodology.