Des Moines-West Des Moines → Anniston-Oxford
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Des Moines-West Des Moines to Anniston-Oxford is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.7 to 85.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $356/mo.
- -$16,639
- BLS median salary lower in Anniston-Oxford
- 238 to 376
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.8:1 to 17.7:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,410
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Anniston-Oxford
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
- + 6% lower cost of living
- + $356/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - $17K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 91.7 to 85.9, so each dollar covers more in Anniston-Oxford (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $356/mo ($4,272/yr) from $1,318 in Des Moines-West Des Moines to $962 in Anniston-Oxford.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Anniston-Oxford sits #77 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Des Moines-West Des Moines is #145/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $16,639 lower ($69,930 → $53,291). Labor-market size: 394,120 tracked jobs at origin vs 37,350 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Iowa 70 (B, #8/51) vs Alabama 75 (B, #5/51). 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
- 85
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 42
- Income tax
- 90
- Property tax
- 92
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 20
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 Des Moines-West Des Moines to see what you'd need to earn in Anniston-Oxford to maintain the same purchasing power.
Anniston-Oxford 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