Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Cape Coral-Fort Myers

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia to Cape Coral-Fort Myers is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 97.3 to 102.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $823/mo.

-$6,240
BLS median salary lower in Cape Coral-Fort Myers
365 to 210
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 17.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,018
DOL infant care higher / yr in Cape Coral-Fort Myers

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 97.3 → 102.3
Rent Delta: +$823/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - 5% higher cost of living
  • - $823/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 97.3 to 102.3, so the same paycheck buys less in Cape Coral-Fort Myers (ratio 1.05). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $823/mo ($9,876/yr) from $1,138 in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia to $1,961 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers.

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Cape Coral-Fort Myers sits #303 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia is #131/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,240 lower ($70,931 → $64,691). Labor-market size: 1,341,320 tracked jobs at origin vs 293,750 at destination.

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

Dimension
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Cape Coral-Fort Myers
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 97.3
RPP 102.3
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Rent (2BR)
$1,138/mo
$1,961/mo
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Wages
$70,931
$64,691
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Crime
365 per 100K
210 per 100K
Cape Coral-Fort Myers
Schools
15.8:1
17.8:1
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Childcare
$9,487/yr
$10,505/yr
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Environment
3120 violations
2736 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 · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30
Destination state · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12

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

Equivalent salary in Cape Coral-Fort Myers
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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