Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Charleston-North Charleston

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Davenport-Moline-Rock Island to Charleston-North Charleston is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 89.1 to 101.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $644/mo.

+$4,382
BLS median salary higher in Charleston-North Charleston
238 to 439
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.8:1 to 14.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$574
DOL infant care lower / yr in Charleston-North Charleston

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: 89.1 → 101.0
Rent Delta: +$644/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $4K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 12% higher cost of living
  • - $644/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 89.1 to 101.0, so the same paycheck buys less in Charleston-North Charleston (ratio 1.13). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $644/mo ($7,728/yr) from $1,143 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island to $1,787 in Charleston-North Charleston.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Charleston-North Charleston sits #100 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Davenport-Moline-Rock Island is #78/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,382 higher ($63,304 → $67,686). Labor-market size: 172,000 tracked jobs at origin vs 381,130 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs Iowa at 70 (B, #8/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
Charleston-North Charleston
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 89.1
RPP 101.0
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
Rent (2BR)
$1,143/mo
$1,787/mo
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
Wages
$63,304
$67,686
Charleston-North Charleston
Crime
238 per 100K
439 per 100K
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
Schools
14.8:1
14.3:1
Charleston-North Charleston
Childcare
$8,306/yr
$7,732/yr
Charleston-North Charleston
Environment
742 violations
720 violations
Charleston-North Charleston

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 · Iowa
70 B #8/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
58
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
42
Destination state · South Carolina
80 A #3/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
87
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
56

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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island to see what you'd need to earn in Charleston-North Charleston to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Charleston-North Charleston
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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