Burlington-South Burlington → Bellingham
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Burlington-South Burlington to Bellingham is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.9 to 103.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $346/mo.
- -$3,662
- BLS median salary lower in Bellingham
- 225 to 329
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.9:1 to 17.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
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
- + $346/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - $4K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.9 to 103.3 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $346/mo ($4,152/yr) from $2,140 in Burlington-South Burlington to $1,794 in Bellingham.
Burlington-South Burlington still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Bellingham sits #235 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Burlington-South Burlington is #114/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,662 lower ($78,385 → $74,723). Labor-market size: 108,730 tracked jobs at origin vs 82,720 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Vermont scores 54 (D, #36/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). 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
- 65
- Property tax
- 52
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 78
- Income tax
- 63
- Property tax
- 63
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 18
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 Burlington-South Burlington to see what you'd need to earn in Bellingham to maintain the same purchasing power.
Bellingham 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