Bend Florence

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Bend to Florence is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.6 to 86.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $287/mo.

-$8,846
BLS median salary lower in Florence
335 to 439
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 14.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,907
DOL infant care lower / yr in Florence

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 103.6 → 86.8
Rent Delta: -$287/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 17% lower cost of living
  • + $287/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $9K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.6 to 86.8, so each dollar covers more in Florence (ratio 0.84). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $287/mo ($3,444/yr) from $1,385 in Bend to $1,098 in Florence.

Florence leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Florence sits #6 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Bend is #276/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,846 lower ($69,802 → $60,956). Labor-market size: 102,030 tracked jobs at origin vs 82,440 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs Oregon at 41 (F, #49/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Bend
Florence
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 103.6
RPP 86.8
Florence
Rent (2BR)
$1,385/mo
$1,098/mo
Florence
Wages
$69,802
$60,956
Bend
Crime
335 per 100K
439 per 100K
Bend
Schools
17.6:1
14.3:1
Florence
Childcare
$12,639/yr
$7,732/yr
Florence
Environment
2683 violations
720 violations
Florence

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 · Oregon
41 F #49/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
64
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
14
Destination state · South Carolina
80 A #3/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
87
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
56

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 Bend to see what you'd need to earn in Florence to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Florence
-

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