Charleston-North Charleston → Rochester
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Charleston-North Charleston to Rochester is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.0 to 90.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $380/mo.
- +$8,001
- BLS median salary higher in Rochester
- 439 to 259
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.3:1 to 15.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $3,990
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Rochester
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
- + 10% lower cost of living
- + $380/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $8K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.0 to 90.8, so each dollar covers more in Rochester (ratio 0.90). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $380/mo ($4,560/yr) from $1,787 in Charleston-North Charleston to $1,407 in Rochester.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Rochester sits #172 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). 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 $8,001 higher ($67,686 → $75,687). Labor-market size: 381,130 tracked jobs at origin vs 100,480 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). 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
- 85
- Property tax
- 87
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 56
- Income tax
- 60
- Property tax
- 62
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 34
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 Rochester to maintain the same purchasing power.
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