Cape Coral-Fort Myers Fayetteville

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Cape Coral-Fort Myers to Fayetteville is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 102.3 to 92.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $710/mo.

-$1,854
BLS median salary lower in Fayetteville
210 to 365
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 15.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,018
DOL infant care lower / yr in Fayetteville

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: 102.3 → 92.0
Rent Delta: -$710/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 10% lower cost of living
  • + $710/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 102.3 to 92.0, so each dollar covers more in Fayetteville (ratio 0.90). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $710/mo ($8,520/yr) from $1,961 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers to $1,251 in Fayetteville.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Fayetteville sits #123 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Cape Coral-Fort Myers is #303/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,854 lower ($64,691 → $62,837). Labor-market size: 293,750 tracked jobs at origin vs 121,490 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Florida 62 (C, #23/51) vs North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Cape Coral-Fort Myers
Fayetteville
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 102.3
RPP 92.0
Fayetteville
Rent (2BR)
$1,961/mo
$1,251/mo
Fayetteville
Wages
$64,691
$62,837
Cape Coral-Fort Myers
Crime
210 per 100K
365 per 100K
Cape Coral-Fort Myers
Schools
17.8:1
15.8:1
Fayetteville
Childcare
$10,505/yr
$9,487/yr
Fayetteville
Environment
2736 violations
3120 violations
Cape Coral-Fort Myers

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 · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12
Destination state · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30

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 Cape Coral-Fort Myers to see what you'd need to earn in Fayetteville to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Fayetteville
-

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