Burlington-South Burlington Grand Forks

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Burlington-South Burlington to Grand Forks is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.9 to 86.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,051/mo.

-$12,157
BLS median salary lower in Grand Forks
225 to 257
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.9:1 to 11.8:1
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.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 100.9 → 86.7
Rent Delta: -$1,051/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 14% lower cost of living
  • + $1051/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $12K lower median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 100.9 to 86.7, so each dollar covers more in Grand Forks (ratio 0.86). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,051/mo ($12,612/yr) from $2,140 in Burlington-South Burlington to $1,089 in Grand Forks.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Grand Forks sits #1 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Burlington-South Burlington is #114/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $12,157 lower ($78,385 → $66,228). Labor-market size: 108,730 tracked jobs at origin vs 46,030 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: North Dakota scores 69 (C, #9/51) vs Vermont at 54 (D, #36/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Burlington-South Burlington
Grand Forks
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.9
RPP 86.7
Grand Forks
Rent (2BR)
$2,140/mo
$1,089/mo
Grand Forks
Wages
$78,385
$66,228
Burlington-South Burlington
Crime
225 per 100K
257 per 100K
Burlington-South Burlington
Schools
11.9:1
11.8:1
Grand Forks
Childcare
N/A
$10,925/yr
Tie
Environment
1111 violations
185 violations
Grand Forks

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 · Vermont
54 D #36/51
Income tax
65
Property tax
52
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
78
Destination state · North Dakota
69 C #9/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
59
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
94

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 Grand Forks to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Grand Forks
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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