Charleston-North Charleston Davenport-Moline-Rock Island

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Charleston-North Charleston to Davenport-Moline-Rock Island is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.0 to 89.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $644/mo.

-$4,382
BLS median salary lower in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
439 to 238
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.3:1 to 14.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$574
DOL infant care higher / yr in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island

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: 101.0 → 89.1
Rent Delta: -$644/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 12% lower cost of living
  • + $644/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - $4K lower median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.0 to 89.1, so each dollar covers more in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (ratio 0.88). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $644/mo ($7,728/yr) from $1,787 in Charleston-North Charleston to $1,143 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island sits #78 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Charleston-North Charleston is #100/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,382 lower ($67,686 → $63,304). Labor-market size: 381,130 tracked jobs at origin vs 172,000 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs Iowa at 70 (B, #8/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Charleston-North Charleston
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.0
RPP 89.1
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
Rent (2BR)
$1,787/mo
$1,143/mo
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
Wages
$67,686
$63,304
Charleston-North Charleston
Crime
439 per 100K
238 per 100K
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
Schools
14.3:1
14.8:1
Charleston-North Charleston
Childcare
$7,732/yr
$8,306/yr
Charleston-North Charleston
Environment
720 violations
742 violations
Charleston-North Charleston

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 · South Carolina
80 A #3/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
87
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
56
Destination state · Iowa
70 B #8/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
58
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
42

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 Charleston-North Charleston to see what you'd need to earn in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
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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