Fresno Provo-Orem-Lehi

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Fresno to Provo-Orem-Lehi is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 102.2 to 98.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $204/mo.

-$9,675
BLS median salary lower in Provo-Orem-Lehi
477 to 229
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
21.5:1 to 21.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$6,092
DOL infant care lower / yr in Provo-Orem-Lehi

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 102.2 → 98.2
Rent Delta: -$204/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 4% lower cost of living
  • + $204/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $10K lower median salary

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 102.2 to 98.2 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $204/mo ($2,448/yr) from $1,664 in Fresno to $1,460 in Provo-Orem-Lehi.

Provo-Orem-Lehi leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Provo-Orem-Lehi sits #339 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Fresno is #373/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,675 lower ($73,531 → $63,856). Labor-market size: 469,260 tracked jobs at origin vs 293,200 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Utah scores 53 (D, #40/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Fresno
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 102.2
RPP 98.2
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Rent (2BR)
$1,664/mo
$1,460/mo
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Wages
$73,531
$63,856
Fresno
Crime
477 per 100K
229 per 100K
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Schools
21.5:1
21.4:1
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Childcare
$17,920/yr
$11,828/yr
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Environment
17705 violations
1172 violations
Provo-Orem-Lehi

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 · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4
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 Fresno to see what you'd need to earn in Provo-Orem-Lehi to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Provo-Orem-Lehi
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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