Dothan Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Dothan to Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 83.8 to 96.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $780/mo.

+$14,889
BLS median salary higher in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
376 to 602
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.7:1 to 15.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$964
DOL infant care higher / yr in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

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: 83.8 → 96.3
Rent Delta: +$780/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $15K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - 13% higher cost of living
  • - $780/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 83.8 to 96.3, so the same paycheck buys less in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin (ratio 1.15). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $780/mo ($9,360/yr) from $950 in Dothan to $1,730 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin.

Dothan still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin sits #337 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Dothan is #67/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $14,889 higher ($52,967 → $67,856). Labor-market size: 54,630 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,079,340 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs Tennessee at 66 (C, #17/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Dothan
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 83.8
RPP 96.3
Dothan
Rent (2BR)
$950/mo
$1,730/mo
Dothan
Wages
$52,967
$67,856
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Crime
376 per 100K
602 per 100K
Dothan
Schools
17.7:1
15.3:1
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Childcare
$6,896/yr
$7,860/yr
Dothan
Environment
538 violations
1192 violations
Dothan

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 · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36

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 Dothan to see what you'd need to earn in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
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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