Daphne-Fairhope-Foley Missoula

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Daphne-Fairhope-Foley to Missoula is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 94.7 to 96.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $16/mo.

+$7,471
BLS median salary higher in Missoula
376 to 426
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.7:1 to 11.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,570
DOL infant care higher / yr in Missoula

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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 94.7 → 96.4
Rent Delta: +$16/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $7K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 94.7 to 96.4 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,345 → $1,361); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Missoula sits #285 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Daphne-Fairhope-Foley is #296/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $7,471 higher ($55,661 → $63,132). Labor-market size: 79,420 tracked jobs at origin vs 60,010 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs Montana at 53 (D, #38/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Missoula
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 94.7
RPP 96.4
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Rent (2BR)
$1,345/mo
$1,361/mo
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Wages
$55,661
$63,132
Missoula
Crime
376 per 100K
426 per 100K
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Schools
17.7:1
11.8:1
Missoula
Childcare
$6,896/yr
$11,466/yr
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Environment
538 violations
1604 violations
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley

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 · Alabama
75 B #5/51
Income tax
90
Property tax
92
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
20
Destination state · Montana
53 D #38/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
68
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
82

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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley to see what you'd need to earn in Missoula to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Missoula
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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