Detroit-Warren-Dearborn St. George

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Detroit-Warren-Dearborn to St. George is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.3 to 97.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $164/mo.

-$12,393
BLS median salary lower in St. George
431 to 229
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.5:1 to 21.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,384
DOL infant care higher / yr in St. George

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 100.3 → 97.3
Rent Delta: +$164/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - $164/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $12K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.3 to 97.3 (ratio 0.97), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $164/mo ($1,968/yr) from $1,411 in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn to $1,575 in St. George.

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. St. George sits #311 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Detroit-Warren-Dearborn is #346/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $12,393 lower ($71,303 → $58,910). Labor-market size: 1,883,860 tracked jobs at origin vs 83,630 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Michigan 49 (F, #42/51) vs Utah 53 (D, #40/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
St. George
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.3
RPP 97.3
St. George
Rent (2BR)
$1,411/mo
$1,575/mo
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
Wages
$71,303
$58,910
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
Crime
431 per 100K
229 per 100K
St. George
Schools
17.5:1
21.4:1
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
Childcare
$7,444/yr
$11,828/yr
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
Environment
1120 violations
1172 violations
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn

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 · Michigan
49 F #42/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
59
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
16
Destination state · Utah
53 D #40/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
83
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
0

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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn to see what you'd need to earn in St. George to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in St. George
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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