Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos → Wilmington
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to Wilmington is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.1 to 96.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $426/mo.
- -$7,493
- BLS median salary lower in Wilmington
- 395 to 365
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.7:1 to 15.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,921
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Wilmington
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + $426/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $7K lower median salary
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 98.1 to 96.4 (ratio 0.98), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $426/mo ($5,112/yr) from $1,852 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to $1,426 in Wilmington.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Wilmington sits #201 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos is #321/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $7,493 lower ($71,789 → $64,296). Labor-market size: 1,265,270 tracked jobs at origin vs 183,460 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Texas 65 (C, #19/51) vs North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 66
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 30
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to see what you'd need to earn in Wilmington to maintain the same purchasing power.
Wilmington metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026