Buffalo-Cheektowaga → Decatur
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Buffalo-Cheektowaga to Decatur is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 95.8 to 87.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $382/mo.
- -$12,899
- BLS median salary lower in Decatur
- 380 to 376
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.8:1 to 17.7:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $6,973
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Decatur
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
- + 9% lower cost of living
- + $382/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $13K lower median salary
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 95.8 to 87.2, so each dollar covers more in Decatur (ratio 0.91). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $382/mo ($4,584/yr) from $1,343 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga to $961 in Decatur.
Decatur leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Decatur sits #55 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Buffalo-Cheektowaga is #189/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $12,899 lower ($74,613 → $61,714). Labor-market size: 524,180 tracked jobs at origin vs 54,590 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs New York at 46 (F, #46/51). 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
- 80
- Property tax
- 48
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 96
- Income tax
- 90
- Property tax
- 92
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 20
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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga to see what you'd need to earn in Decatur 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