Durham-Chapel Hill → Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Durham-Chapel Hill to Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 97.6 to 97.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $74/mo.
- -$4,842
- BLS median salary lower in Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
- 365 to 210
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.8:1 to 17.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,018
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
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
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - $74/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - $5K lower median salary
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 97.6 to 97.0 (ratio 0.99), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $74/mo ($888/yr) from $1,711 in Durham-Chapel Hill to $1,785 in Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin sits #211 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Durham-Chapel Hill is #216/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,842 lower ($71,457 → $66,615). Labor-market size: 295,700 tracked jobs at origin vs 119,420 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51) vs Florida 62 (C, #23/51). 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
- 68
- Property tax
- 66
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 30
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
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 Durham-Chapel Hill to see what you'd need to earn in Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin to maintain the same purchasing power.
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin 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