Bangor → Lafayette-West Lafayette
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Bangor to Lafayette-West Lafayette is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.5 to 93.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $150/mo.
- -$1,592
- BLS median salary lower in Lafayette-West Lafayette
- 102 to 308
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.1:1 to 15.9:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
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
- + 3% lower cost of living
- + $150/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.5 to 93.4 (ratio 0.97), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $150/mo ($1,800/yr) from $1,392 in Bangor to $1,242 in Lafayette-West Lafayette.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Lafayette-West Lafayette sits #225 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Bangor is #23/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,592 lower ($65,577 → $63,985). Labor-market size: 66,130 tracked jobs at origin vs 90,750 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Maine 61 (C, #27/51) vs Indiana 62 (C, #24/51). 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
- 68
- Property tax
- 60
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 100
- Income tax
- 72
- Property tax
- 69
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 32
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 Bangor to see what you'd need to earn in Lafayette-West Lafayette to maintain the same purchasing power.
Lafayette-West Lafayette 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