Brownsville-Harlingen → La Crosse-Onalaska
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Brownsville-Harlingen to La Crosse-Onalaska is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 86.0 to 91.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $119/mo.
- +$10,305
- BLS median salary higher in La Crosse-Onalaska
- 395 to 280
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.7:1 to 14.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $3,690
- DOL infant care higher / yr in La Crosse-Onalaska
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
- + $10K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 6% higher cost of living
- - $119/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 86.0 to 91.8, so the same paycheck buys less in La Crosse-Onalaska (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $119/mo ($1,428/yr) from $1,047 in Brownsville-Harlingen to $1,166 in La Crosse-Onalaska.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. La Crosse-Onalaska sits #34 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Brownsville-Harlingen is #214/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $10,305 higher ($55,295 → $65,600). Labor-market size: 149,790 tracked jobs at origin vs 78,110 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Texas scores 65 (C, #19/51) vs Wisconsin at 57 (D, #32/51). 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
- 100
- Property tax
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 56
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 40
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 Brownsville-Harlingen to see what you'd need to earn in La Crosse-Onalaska to maintain the same purchasing power.
La Crosse-Onalaska 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