Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Elizabethtown

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia to Elizabethtown is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 97.3 to 90.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $82/mo.

-$10,312
BLS median salary lower in Elizabethtown
365 to 225
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 15.2:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,249
DOL infant care lower / yr in Elizabethtown

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: 97.3 → 90.6
Rent Delta: -$82/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 7% lower cost of living
  • + $82/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $10K lower median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 97.3 to 90.6, so each dollar covers more in Elizabethtown (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $82/mo ($984/yr) from $1,138 in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia to $1,056 in Elizabethtown.

Elizabethtown leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Elizabethtown sits #64 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia is #131/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $10,312 lower ($70,931 → $60,619). Labor-market size: 1,341,320 tracked jobs at origin vs 46,020 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51) vs Kentucky 68 (C, #11/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Elizabethtown
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 97.3
RPP 90.6
Elizabethtown
Rent (2BR)
$1,138/mo
$1,056/mo
Elizabethtown
Wages
$70,931
$60,619
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Crime
365 per 100K
225 per 100K
Elizabethtown
Schools
15.8:1
15.2:1
Elizabethtown
Childcare
$9,487/yr
$7,238/yr
Elizabethtown
Environment
3120 violations
1864 violations
Elizabethtown

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 · Kentucky
68 C #11/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
73
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
38

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 Elizabethtown to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Elizabethtown
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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