Chico Janesville-Beloit

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Chico to Janesville-Beloit is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.2 to 93.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $379/mo.

-$5,703
BLS median salary lower in Janesville-Beloit
477 to 280
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
21.5:1 to 14.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$6,664
DOL infant care lower / yr in Janesville-Beloit

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 → 93.7
Rent Delta: -$379/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 7% lower cost of living
  • + $379/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $6K lower median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.2 to 93.7, so each dollar covers more in Janesville-Beloit (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $379/mo ($4,548/yr) from $1,625 in Chico to $1,246 in Janesville-Beloit.

Janesville-Beloit leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Janesville-Beloit sits #124 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Chico is #363/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,703 lower ($69,223 → $63,520). Labor-market size: 70,590 tracked jobs at origin vs 64,420 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Wisconsin scores 57 (D, #32/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Chico
Janesville-Beloit
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.2
RPP 93.7
Janesville-Beloit
Rent (2BR)
$1,625/mo
$1,246/mo
Janesville-Beloit
Wages
$69,223
$63,520
Chico
Crime
477 per 100K
280 per 100K
Janesville-Beloit
Schools
21.5:1
14.4:1
Janesville-Beloit
Childcare
$17,920/yr
$11,256/yr
Janesville-Beloit
Environment
17705 violations
2317 violations
Janesville-Beloit

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 · Wisconsin
57 D #32/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
56
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
40

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 Janesville-Beloit to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Janesville-Beloit
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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