Chico Jacksonville

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Chico to Jacksonville is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.2 to 99.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $522/mo.

-$1,460
BLS median salary lower in Jacksonville
477 to 210
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
21.5:1 to 17.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$7,415
DOL infant care lower / yr in Jacksonville

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: 101.2 → 99.5
Rent Delta: -$522/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $522/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 101.2 to 99.5 (ratio 0.98), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $522/mo ($6,264/yr) from $1,625 in Chico to $1,103 in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Jacksonville sits #180 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Chico is #363/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,460 lower ($69,223 → $67,763). Labor-market size: 70,590 tracked jobs at origin vs 749,800 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Florida scores 62 (C, #23/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Chico
Jacksonville
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.2
RPP 99.5
Jacksonville
Rent (2BR)
$1,625/mo
$1,103/mo
Jacksonville
Wages
$69,223
$67,763
Chico
Crime
477 per 100K
210 per 100K
Jacksonville
Schools
21.5:1
17.8:1
Jacksonville
Childcare
$17,920/yr
$10,505/yr
Jacksonville
Environment
17705 violations
2736 violations
Jacksonville

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 · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4
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 Chico to see what you'd need to earn in Jacksonville to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Jacksonville
-

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