Charlottesville → Johnson City
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Charlottesville to Johnson City is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 99.1 to 87.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $692/mo.
- -$13,511
- BLS median salary lower in Johnson City
- 223 to 602
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.9:1 to 15.3:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $2,547
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Johnson City
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
- + 11% lower cost of living
- + $692/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $14K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 99.1 to 87.9, so each dollar covers more in Johnson City (ratio 0.89). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $692/mo ($8,304/yr) from $1,824 in Charlottesville to $1,132 in Johnson City.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Johnson City sits #249 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Charlottesville is #176/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $13,511 lower ($70,567 → $57,056). Labor-market size: 96,390 tracked jobs at origin vs 74,580 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Virginia 64 (C, #20/51) vs Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51). 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
- 78
- Property tax
- 71
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 62
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 80
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 36
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 Charlottesville to see what you'd need to earn in Johnson City to maintain the same purchasing power.
Johnson City metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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