Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin → Durham-Chapel Hill
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin to Durham-Chapel Hill is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 97.0 to 97.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $74/mo.
- +$4,842
- BLS median salary higher in Durham-Chapel Hill
- 210 to 365
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.8:1 to 15.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,018
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Durham-Chapel Hill
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
- + $74/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $5K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 97.0 to 97.6 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $74/mo ($888/yr) from $1,785 in Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin to $1,711 in Durham-Chapel Hill.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Durham-Chapel Hill sits #216 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin is #211/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,842 higher ($66,615 → $71,457). Labor-market size: 119,420 tracked jobs at origin vs 295,700 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Florida 62 (C, #23/51) vs North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51). 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
- 100
- Property tax
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 66
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 30
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 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin to see what you'd need to earn in Durham-Chapel Hill to maintain the same purchasing power.
Durham-Chapel Hill 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