Gainesville → Waco
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Gainesville to Waco is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.8 to 92.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $541/mo.
- +$955
- BLS median salary higher in Waco
- 300 to 395
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.4:1 to 14.7:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $975
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Waco
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
- + 4% lower cost of living
- + $541/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.8 to 92.5 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $541/mo ($6,492/yr) from $1,514 in Gainesville to $973 in Waco.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Waco sits #233 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Gainesville is #320/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $955 higher ($59,789 → $60,744). Labor-market size: 93,210 tracked jobs at origin vs 117,690 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Georgia 68 (C, #10/51) vs Texas 65 (C, #19/51). 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
- 88
- Property tax
- 74
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 48
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
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 Gainesville to see what you'd need to earn in Waco 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