Columbus → San Angelo
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Cons of Moving
- - 3% higher cost of living
- - $251/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - $5K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Columbus to San Angelo shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 89.3 to 92.5 (100 = US average), so a Columbus salary needs to be multiplied by 1.04 to hold the same purchasing power in San Angelo. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,088/month in Columbus to $1,339/month in San Angelo - a higher monthly bill of $251, or $3,012/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $59,133 in Columbus versus $54,384 in San Angelo - a raw gap of $4,749 lower. The San Angelo labor market has 43,790 tracked jobs against 107,760 in Columbus, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Columbus and San Angelo are 300 and 395 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 14.4:1 at origin versus 14.7:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $6,591/year in Columbus versus $7,566/year in San Angelo. Our composite verdict - Unfavorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Columbus to see what you'd need to earn in San Angelo to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Angelo more expensive than Columbus?
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What does the "Unfavorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.