Cleveland Kenosha

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Cleveland to Kenosha is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 93.9 to 101.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $365/mo.

+$767
BLS median salary higher in Kenosha
293 to 280
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
18.2:1 to 14.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$535
DOL infant care lower / yr in Kenosha

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 93.9 → 101.1
Rent Delta: +$365/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - 7% higher cost of living
  • - $365/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 93.9 to 101.1, so the same paycheck buys less in Kenosha (ratio 1.08). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $365/mo ($4,380/yr) from $1,037 in Cleveland to $1,402 in Kenosha.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Kenosha sits #260 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Cleveland is #166/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $767 higher ($67,639 → $68,406). Labor-market size: 1,014,330 tracked jobs at origin vs 69,670 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Ohio 59 (D, #29/51) vs Wisconsin 57 (D, #32/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Cleveland
Kenosha
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 93.9
RPP 101.1
Cleveland
Rent (2BR)
$1,037/mo
$1,402/mo
Cleveland
Wages
$67,639
$68,406
Kenosha
Crime
293 per 100K
280 per 100K
Kenosha
Schools
18.2:1
14.4:1
Kenosha
Childcare
$11,791/yr
$11,256/yr
Kenosha
Environment
1500 violations
2317 violations
Cleveland

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 · Ohio
59 D #29/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
57
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
10
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 Cleveland to see what you'd need to earn in Kenosha to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Kenosha
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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