Bowling Green Lewiston-Auburn

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Bowling Green to Lewiston-Auburn is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.2 to 94.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $590/mo.

+$5,032
BLS median salary higher in Lewiston-Auburn
225 to 102
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.2:1 to 11.1:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,087
DOL infant care higher / yr in Lewiston-Auburn

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 90.2 → 94.7
Rent Delta: +$590/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $5K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - 5% higher cost of living
  • - $590/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 90.2 to 94.7, so the same paycheck buys less in Lewiston-Auburn (ratio 1.05). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $590/mo ($7,080/yr) from $996 in Bowling Green to $1,586 in Lewiston-Auburn.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Lewiston-Auburn sits #20 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Bowling Green is #88/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,032 higher ($57,585 → $62,617). Labor-market size: 74,850 tracked jobs at origin vs 41,990 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Kentucky 68 (C, #11/51) vs Maine 61 (C, #27/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Bowling Green
Lewiston-Auburn
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 90.2
RPP 94.7
Bowling Green
Rent (2BR)
$996/mo
$1,586/mo
Bowling Green
Wages
$57,585
$62,617
Lewiston-Auburn
Crime
225 per 100K
102 per 100K
Lewiston-Auburn
Schools
15.2:1
11.1:1
Lewiston-Auburn
Childcare
$7,238/yr
$11,325/yr
Bowling Green
Environment
1864 violations
832 violations
Lewiston-Auburn

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 · Kentucky
68 C #11/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
73
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
38
Destination state · Maine
61 C #27/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
60
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
100

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 Bowling Green to see what you'd need to earn in Lewiston-Auburn to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Lewiston-Auburn
-

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