Bismarck Florence

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Bismarck to Florence is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.0 to 86.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $77/mo.

-$9,895
BLS median salary lower in Florence
257 to 439
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.8:1 to 14.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,193
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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 91.0 → 86.8
Rent Delta: -$77/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 4% lower cost of living
  • + $77/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $10K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 91.0 to 86.8 (ratio 0.95), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $77/mo ($924/yr) from $1,175 in Bismarck to $1,098 in Florence.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Florence sits #6 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Bismarck is #9/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,895 lower ($70,851 → $60,956). Labor-market size: 64,970 tracked jobs at origin vs 82,440 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs North Dakota at 69 (C, #9/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Bismarck
Florence
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 91.0
RPP 86.8
Florence
Rent (2BR)
$1,175/mo
$1,098/mo
Florence
Wages
$70,851
$60,956
Bismarck
Crime
257 per 100K
439 per 100K
Bismarck
Schools
11.8:1
14.3:1
Bismarck
Childcare
$10,925/yr
$7,732/yr
Florence
Environment
185 violations
720 violations
Bismarck

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 · North Dakota
69 C #9/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
59
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
94
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 Bismarck 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