Open a relocation negotiation with one number: the salary in the new city that leaves you exactly as well off after taxes and living costs as your current pay. For a single renter earning $90,000 in Chicago, that number is $79,726 in Nashville — 11.4% less — because Tennessee does not tax wages and Nashville’s rent and prices are lower. Any offer above it is a real gain; any offer below it is a cut, whatever the headline salary says.
Compute your matching salary first
Use the cost of living calculator. Enter where you live now, your pay and your household — adults, children’s ages, rent or own, cars — then the destination. The calculator returns the gross pay in the new city that leaves the same amount after 2026 taxes, HUD Fair Market Rent, food, fuel, sales tax and an estimate for other spending.
Example: Chicago to Nashville, single renter, $90,000
| Annual line | Chicago, IL-IN | Nashville, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Total 2026 taxes | $22,165 | $17,855 |
| of which state income tax | $4,310 (Illinois, 4.95%) | $0 |
| Rent, 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent | $21,360 ($1,780/mo) | $19,800 ($1,650/mo) |
| Food (USDA Moderate-Cost × local goods prices) | $5,670 | $5,088 |
| State sales tax | $402 | $608 |
| Left over at $90,000 | $25,965 | $33,194 |
| Pay that keeps $25,965 | — | $79,726 |
Sources: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (Chicago 103.6, Nashville 96.3; US = 100); USDA food plans, August 2026; 2026 taxes from the MoveMath engine. The household drives one car 12,000 miles a year and spends $500 a month each on other goods and services at US prices — an adjustable estimate, not measured data.
Nashville’s sales tax line is higher because Tennessee taxes groceries at a 4% state rate, while Illinois dropped its state grocery tax in 2026. That detail is small next to the $4,310 of Illinois income tax.
The Chicago to Nashville moving page runs the same comparison for the site’s standard households: a single renter on $70,000 needs $61,801 in Nashville, and two adults with a preschooler and a school-age child on $120,000 need $103,673.
Why an index gives a different number
Scaling $90,000 by BEA’s price levels (96.3 ÷ 103.6) suggests $83,695 in Nashville — about $4,000 more than the full budget. The index sees only prices. It misses the Illinois income tax that disappears after the move, and it treats rent as a share of a national basket rather than the rent you will actually pay. Bring the after-tax figure, and if HR’s index produces a different one, ask what it leaves out.
Build a one-page case
| Item | Source | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Rent by bedroom count | HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents (91 FR 56156), effective October 1, 2026 | 40th-percentile gross rent, utilities included |
| Price levels | BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, released February 19, 2026 | Goods, rents, utilities, other services |
| State and local income tax | State revenue departments, via MoveMath’s 2026 tax data | Often the largest difference between two cities |
| Food | USDA food plans, August 2026 | Scaled by local goods prices |
Then state the result in one line: “My matching salary in Nashville is $79,726, computed from HUD rents, BEA prices and 2026 tax law. I’m asking for $X, which leaves a margin for the cost and risk of moving.”
Negotiate the one-time costs separately
Salary covers the recurring budget. Ask for a relocation package for the rest:
- Movers or a truck. Interstate movers must be registered with FMCSA; check the USDOT number on FMCSA’s SAFER system and get written estimates.
- Temporary housing while you look for a lease.
- Security deposit and first month’s rent. For a Nashville one-bedroom at Fair Market Rent, one month is $1,650.
- House-hunting trips if the employer expects you to visit first.
- Tax gross-up. Moving payments are taxable wages for most employees: P.L. 119-21 permanently eliminated the exclusion for moving-expense reimbursements except for active-duty military and intelligence-community employees (IRS Publication 15-B). A gross-up covers the tax so the payment covers the move.
Ask whether the employer pays by reimbursement, a lump sum or a relocation-management company; the structure decides how much flexibility you have.
When the new city is cheaper
A move to a lower-cost city often comes with a proposed pay cut. Check it against the matching salary. If the cut is deeper than the gap the calculator shows — for Chicago to Nashville at $90,000, deeper than $10,274 — you would end up worse off, and the numbers support pushing back. If the cut is smaller, you are already gaining.
Phrases that keep it factual
- “I used HUD Fair Market Rents, BEA price levels and 2026 tax law to compute the matching salary. It’s $79,726.”
- “I’m not asking for more than I earn now in real terms — I’m asking to stay whole after the move.”
- “Our index doesn’t include state income tax. With it, the matching figure is lower, and here is why.”
The same method works for any pair of metros. For New York to Austin, see the moving page, or work out what salary you need to live in a city from scratch.