Durham-Chapel Hill Savannah

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Durham-Chapel Hill to Savannah is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 97.6 to 95.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $31/mo.

-$8,617
BLS median salary lower in Savannah
365 to 300
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 14.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,896
DOL infant care lower / yr in Savannah

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 97.6 → 95.2
Rent Delta: -$31/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $9K lower median salary

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 97.6 to 95.2 (ratio 0.98), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,711 → $1,680); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

Savannah leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Savannah sits #243 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Durham-Chapel Hill is #216/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,617 lower ($71,457 → $62,840). Labor-market size: 295,700 tracked jobs at origin vs 180,810 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51) vs Georgia 68 (C, #10/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Durham-Chapel Hill
Savannah
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 97.6
RPP 95.2
Savannah
Rent (2BR)
$1,711/mo
$1,680/mo
Savannah
Wages
$71,457
$62,840
Durham-Chapel Hill
Crime
365 per 100K
300 per 100K
Savannah
Schools
15.8:1
14.4:1
Savannah
Childcare
$9,487/yr
$6,591/yr
Savannah
Environment
3120 violations
2771 violations
Savannah

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 · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30
Destination state · Georgia
68 C #10/51
Income tax
88
Property tax
74
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
48

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 Savannah to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Savannah
-

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