Brownsville-Harlingen → Lafayette
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Brownsville-Harlingen to Lafayette is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 86.0 to 87.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $167/mo.
- +$1,870
- BLS median salary higher in Lafayette
- 395 to 410
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.7:1 to 16.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $170
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Lafayette
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
- + $167/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 86.0 to 87.2 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $167/mo ($2,004/yr) from $1,047 in Brownsville-Harlingen to $880 in Lafayette.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Lafayette sits #250 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Brownsville-Harlingen is #214/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,870 higher ($55,295 → $57,165). Labor-market size: 149,790 tracked jobs at origin vs 163,850 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Texas 65 (C, #19/51) vs Louisiana 67 (C, #15/51). 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
- 78
- Property tax
- 79
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 8
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 Lafayette to maintain the same purchasing power.
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