Moving from Illinois
to Austin.
1131 Illinois tax returns moved to Travis County in the IRS 2022-2023 migration year, with an average AGI of \$126,523. Chicago-to-Austin trades the worst winter in a major American city for the worst summer. Property tax in Cook County is among the highest in the country, so Texas property tax is sometimes a wash or even a savings, not a hit.
Should I move from Illinois to Austin?
Chicago-to-Austin trades the worst winter in a major American city for the worst summer. Property tax in Cook County is among the highest in the country, so Texas property tax is sometimes a wash or even a savings, not a hit.
At a $150,000 single-filer salary, the Texas tax savings against Illinois are roughly \$6,500 a year. At a $300,000 married household, roughly \$13,000. The Texas property tax and homeowner insurance eat back $7,000 to $17,000 a year on a typical Austin home, depending on home price.
Illinois median rent: \$2,200/mo for a 1BR. Median home: \$350,000. Austin: \$2,180/mo and $842K. Run your specific numbers →
Illinois has flat 4.95% state income tax. Texas has zero. The honest delta is smaller than the headline.
The Illinois-to-Austin move pencils for households who can absorb the Austin housing-cost premium and benefit from the state income tax flip. Chicago-to-Austin trades the worst winter in a major American city for the worst summer. Property tax in Cook County is among the highest in the country, so Texas property tax is sometimes a wash or even a savings, not a hit.
The full math depends on your specific income, your home price, and whether you rent or buy in Austin. The cost-of-being-you calculator on our cost-of-living page models federal tax, FICA, Texas state-and-local taxes, housing, utilities, auto insurance, and sales tax against your origin state. Run it with Illinois as the comparison baseline before you commit.
Where do Illinois transplants live in Austin?
The neighborhoods most Illinois transplants land in.
For most under-40 transplants, the dense corridor: East Austin, Hyde Park, Mueller, and South Congress. For families with school-age kids, West Lake Hills for Eanes ISD, or the northern suburbs for Round Rock or Leander ISD at lower house prices.
Run the calculator. Read the deep guide.
The financial case for moving from Illinois to Austin depends on your specific salary, your specific home price, and whether you can absorb the Austin housing premium. The lifestyle case depends on whether you can absorb the four-month indoor summer and commit to one structured repeating activity by month six. Both cases are easier to evaluate with the actual numbers.
Run the cost calculator against your specific income and home price. Read the full Austin guide for the editorial context. Check the four archetype guides: moving in your 20s, moving with kids, moving from California, moving from New York.