Ranked relocation benchmark
Best cities to move to from Chicago
Ranked by real 10-year net worth math, not a vibe score — every destination is run through the same simulator, scaled from a Chicago software-engineer benchmark offer ($134.4K).
Top destination from Chicago right now: Manchester, NH at $100k over 10 years after taxes and cost of living. 60 of 329 destinations beat staying in Chicago on this benchmark.
| # | City | Net delta | Break-even | Score | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | St. Louis | +$70k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 5 | Buffalo | +$67k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 6 | El Paso | +$65k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 7 | Detroit | +$63k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 8 | Birmingham | +$60k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 9 | Des Moines | +$60k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 10 | Memphis | +$59k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 11 | Charlotte | +$58k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 12 | Pittsburgh | +$58k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 13 | San Jose | +$55k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 14 | Charleston, WV | +$54k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 15 | Milwaukee | +$52k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 16 | Oklahoma City | +$52k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 17 | Dubai | +$52k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 18 | Omaha | +$51k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 19 | Cheyenne | +$51k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 20 | Albuquerque | +$51k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 21 | Austin | +$50k | Yr 1 | 9.0 | View → |
| 22 | Boise | +$48k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 23 | Dallas | +$48k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 24 | Cincinnati | +$48k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 25 | Kansas City | +$47k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 26 | Richmond | +$46k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 27 | Providence | +$44k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 28 | Virginia Beach | +$43k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 29 | San Antonio | +$42k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 30 | Baltimore | +$41k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 31 | Tucson | +$41k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 32 | Houston | +$39k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 33 | Raleigh | +$38k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 34 | Hartford | +$38k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 35 | Jacksonville | +$35k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 36 | Philadelphia | +$34k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 37 | Wilmington | +$34k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 38 | Columbus | +$34k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 39 | Charleston, SC | +$32k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 40 | Nashville | +$30k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 41 | Sacramento | +$30k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 42 | Las Vegas | +$29k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 43 | Fort Worth | +$28k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 44 | Boston | +$26k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 45 | Tampa | +$24k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 46 | Cleveland | +$22k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 47 | Portland, ME | +$21k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 48 | Phoenix | +$21k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 49 | Louisville | +$20k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 50 | Salt Lake City | +$15k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 51 | Portland | +$13k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 52 | Abu Dhabi | +$12k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 53 | Burlington | +$11k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 54 | Atlanta | +$11k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 55 | San Francisco | +$8k | Yr 4 | 7.0 | View → |
| 56 | Wichita | +$8k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 57 | Fargo | +$8k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 58 | Denver | +$6k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 59 | Indianapolis | +$4k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 60 | Little Rock | +$3k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 61 | New Orleans | -$921 | Yr 1 | 7.0 | View → |
| 62 | San Diego | -$1k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 63 | Sioux Falls | -$5k | Yr 1 | 7.0 | View → |
| 64 | Miami | -$7k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 65 | Billings | -$7k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 66 | Los Angeles | -$13k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 67 | Jackson | -$16k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 68 | Zurich | -$17k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 69 | Minneapolis | -$18k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 70 | Washington D.C. | -$19k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 71 | New York | -$26k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 72 | Anchorage | -$29k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 73 | Singapore | -$32k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 74 | Geneva | -$46k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 75 | Bern | -$46k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 76 | Honolulu | -$50k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 77 | Monaco | -$52k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 78 | Doha | -$57k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 79 | Luxembourg City | -$64k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 80 | Sofia | -$72k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 81 | Riyadh | -$76k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 82 | Jeddah | -$76k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 83 | Hong Kong | -$84k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 84 | Kuwait City | -$88k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 85 | Manama | -$94k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 86 | Vienna | -$97k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 87 | Valletta | -$101k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 88 | Brussels | -$103k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 89 | Antwerp | -$103k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 90 | Toronto | -$105k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 91 | Tel Aviv | -$106k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 92 | Sydney | -$109k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 93 | Nicosia | -$109k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 94 | Taipei | -$110k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 95 | Ljubljana | -$111k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 96 | Vilnius | -$112k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 97 | Melbourne | -$113k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 98 | Warsaw | -$117k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 99 | Kuala Lumpur | -$117k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 100 | Almaty | -$117k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 101 | Astana | -$117k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 102 | Jerusalem | -$118k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 103 | Copenhagen | -$119k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 104 | Aarhus | -$119k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 105 | Muscat | -$119k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 106 | Helsinki | -$120k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 107 | Tampere | -$120k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 108 | Zagreb | -$120k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 109 | Minsk | -$120k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 110 | Bucharest | -$121k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 111–115 | 5 Australia citiescountry-level estimate | -$125k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 116 | Panama City | -$126k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 117–120 | 4 Turkey citiescountry-level estimate | -$127k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 121 | Budapest | -$128k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 122 | Bratislava | -$129k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 123 | Riga | -$130k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 124 | Kraków | -$130k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 125 | Wrocław | -$130k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 126 | Manchester | -$130k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 127–132 | 6 Canada citiescountry-level estimate | -$131k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 133 | Bangalore | -$132k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 134 | Vancouver | -$133k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 135 | Seoul | -$135k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 136 | Athens | -$135k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 137 | Santo Domingo | -$137k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 138 | Tallinn | -$137k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 139 | Santiago | -$137k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 140 | Prague | -$140k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 141 | London | -$140k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 142 | Bangkok | -$140k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 143 | Chiang Mai | -$140k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 144–154 | 11 China citiescountry-level estimate BeijingShanghaiGuangzhouShenzhenChengduChongqingWuhanNanjingHangzhouTianjinXi'an | -$141k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 155 | Baku | -$141k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 156 | Busan | -$144k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 157 | Incheon | -$144k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 158 | Port of Spain | -$144k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 159 | Colombo | -$145k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 160–163 | 4 United Kingdom citiescountry-level estimate | -$146k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 164 | Tripoli | -$146k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 165 | Kyiv | -$148k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 166 | Johannesburg | -$148k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 167 | Tbilisi | -$148k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 168 | Skopje | -$149k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 169 | Yerevan | -$150k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 170 | Mexico City | -$150k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 171 | Tehran | -$150k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 172 | Algiers | -$151k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 173 | Belgrade | -$152k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 174 | Ulaanbaatar | -$152k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 175 | Reykjavik | -$154k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 176 | Hanoi | -$154k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 177 | Ho Chi Minh City | -$154k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 178 | Sarajevo | -$154k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 179–186 | 8 India citiescountry-level estimate | -$155k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 187 | Edinburgh | -$155k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 188 | Glasgow | -$155k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 189 | Jakarta | -$156k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 190 | Bali (Denpasar) | -$156k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 191–194 | 4 Mexico citiescountry-level estimate | -$156k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 195 | Cairo | -$156k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 196 | Alexandria | -$156k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 197 | Tirana | -$157k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 198 | Buenos Aires | -$157k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 199 | Auckland | -$157k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 200 | Gaborone | -$158k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 201 | San José | -$159k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 202 | Durban | -$159k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 203 | Pretoria | -$159k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 204 | Asunción | -$159k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 205 | Cape Town | -$159k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 206 | Bogotá | -$161k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 207 | Tashkent | -$161k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 208 | Montevideo | -$161k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 209 | Berlin | -$162k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 210 | Córdoba | -$162k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 211 | Rosario | -$162k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 212 | Munich | -$162k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 213 | Harare | -$163k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 214 | Suva | -$163k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 215 | Havana | -$164k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 216 | Tunis | -$165k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 217 | Wellington | -$165k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 218 | Christchurch | -$165k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 219 | Medellín | -$165k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 220 | Cali | -$165k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 221 | Mumbai | -$166k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 222 | Frankfurt | -$166k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 223 | São Paulo | -$167k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 224 | Manila | -$167k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 225 | Tokyo | -$170k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 226–229 | 4 Germany citiescountry-level estimate | -$171k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 230 | Libreville | -$171k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 231 | Quito | -$172k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 232 | Guayaquil | -$172k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 233–239 | 7 Brazil citiescountry-level estimate Rio de JaneiroBrasíliaFortalezaBelo HorizonteManausCuritibaPorto Alegre | -$172k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 240 | Dhaka | -$172k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 241 | Guatemala City | -$173k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 242 | Baghdad | -$174k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 243–246 | 4 Japan citiescountry-level estimate | -$174k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 247 | Amsterdam | -$174k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 248 | Chișinău | -$175k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 249 | Dublin | -$176k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 250 | La Paz | -$176k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 251 | San Juan | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 252 | Oslo | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 253 | Lima | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 254 | Madrid | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 255–258 | 4 Netherlands citiescountry-level estimate | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 259 | Amman | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 260–262 | 3 Pakistan citiescountry-level estimate | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 263 | Paris | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 264 | Bishkek | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 265 | Barcelona | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 266 | Vientiane | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 267 | Windhoek | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 268 | Kathmandu | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 269–271 | 3 Nigeria citiescountry-level estimate | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 272–274 | 3 Morocco citiescountry-level estimate | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 275 | Bergen | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 276 | Trondheim | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 277–279 | 3 Spain citiescountry-level estimate | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 280 | Stockholm | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 281–286 | 6 France citiescountry-level estimate | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 287 | Kingston | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 288 | Caracas | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 289–295 | 7 Italy citiescountry-level estimate | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 296 | Gothenburg | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 297 | Malmö | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 298 | Lisbon | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 299 | Porto | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 300 | Beirut | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 301 | Phnom Penh | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 302 | Yangon | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 303 | Kabul | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 304 | Naypyidaw | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 305 | Kinshasa | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 306 | Luanda | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 307 | Dar es Salaam | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 308 | Nairobi | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 309 | Mombasa | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 310 | Addis Ababa | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 311 | Khartoum | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 312 | Accra | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 313 | Abidjan | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 314 | Dakar | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 315 | Kampala | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 316 | Kigali | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 317 | Lusaka | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 318 | Maputo | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 319 | Antananarivo | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 320 | Bamako | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 321 | Yaoundé | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 322 | Douala | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 323 | Brazzaville | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 324 | Mogadishu | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 325 | Djibouti City | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 326 | Asmara | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 327 | Lilongwe | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 328 | Port Moresby | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 329 | Papeete | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
Salary and spend for each destination are estimated from Chicago's market benchmarks, scaled by role and cost-of-living ratios — not a real offer. Confirm your actual numbers before deciding.
This is a ranked estimate, not your offer
Open the simulator with your real salary, spend, and household to get the actual math.
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