Carson City Decatur

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Carson City to Decatur is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.1 to 87.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $585/mo.

-$4,308
BLS median salary lower in Decatur
407 to 376
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
20.5:1 to 17.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,137
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.

Verdict
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 98.1 → 87.2
Rent Delta: -$585/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 11% lower cost of living
  • + $585/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $4K lower median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 98.1 to 87.2, so each dollar covers more in Decatur (ratio 0.89). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $585/mo ($7,020/yr) from $1,546 in Carson City to $961 in Decatur.

Decatur leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Decatur sits #55 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Carson City is #356/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,308 lower ($66,022 → $61,714). Labor-market size: 25,810 tracked jobs at origin vs 54,590 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs Nevada at 53 (D, #39/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Carson City
Decatur
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.1
RPP 87.2
Decatur
Rent (2BR)
$1,546/mo
$961/mo
Decatur
Wages
$66,022
$61,714
Carson City
Crime
407 per 100K
376 per 100K
Decatur
Schools
20.5:1
17.7:1
Decatur
Childcare
$10,033/yr
$6,896/yr
Decatur
Environment
1021 violations
538 violations
Decatur

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 · Nevada
53 D #39/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
84
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
2
Destination state · Alabama
75 B #5/51
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 Carson City to see what you'd need to earn in Decatur to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Decatur
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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