Beaumont-Port Arthur Decatur

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Beaumont-Port Arthur to Decatur is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.0 to 87.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $142/mo.

-$2,768
BLS median salary lower in Decatur
395 to 376
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.7:1 to 17.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$670
DOL infant care lower / yr in Decatur

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.

Verdict
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 90.0 → 87.2
Rent Delta: -$142/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $142/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $3K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 90.0 to 87.2 (ratio 0.97), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $142/mo ($1,704/yr) from $1,103 in Beaumont-Port Arthur to $961 in Decatur.

Decatur leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Decatur sits #55 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Beaumont-Port Arthur is #139/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,768 lower ($64,482 → $61,714). Labor-market size: 154,920 tracked jobs at origin vs 54,590 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs Texas at 65 (C, #19/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Beaumont-Port Arthur
Decatur
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 90.0
RPP 87.2
Decatur
Rent (2BR)
$1,103/mo
$961/mo
Decatur
Wages
$64,482
$61,714
Beaumont-Port Arthur
Crime
395 per 100K
376 per 100K
Decatur
Schools
14.7:1
17.7:1
Beaumont-Port Arthur
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$6,896/yr
Decatur
Environment
35693 violations
538 violations
Decatur

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
Destination state · Alabama
75 B #5/51
Income tax
90
Property tax
92
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
20

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 Beaumont-Port Arthur to see what you'd need to earn in Decatur to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Decatur
-

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