Fort Collins-Loveland → Elmira
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Fort Collins-Loveland to Elmira is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.1 to 94.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $449/mo.
- -$11,423
- BLS median salary lower in Elmira
- 481 to 380
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 16.6:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,048
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Elmira
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
- + 7% lower cost of living
- + $449/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - $11K lower median salary
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.1 to 94.4, so each dollar covers more in Elmira (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $449/mo ($5,388/yr) from $1,732 in Fort Collins-Loveland to $1,283 in Elmira.
Elmira leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Elmira sits #197 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Fort Collins-Loveland is #371/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $11,423 lower ($73,292 → $61,869). Labor-market size: 149,520 tracked jobs at origin vs 27,950 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Colorado 46 (F, #44/51) vs New York 46 (F, #46/51). 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
- 80
- Property tax
- 90
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 26
- Income tax
- 80
- Property tax
- 48
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 96
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 Fort Collins-Loveland to see what you'd need to earn in Elmira to maintain the same purchasing power.
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