Gulfport-Biloxi → Iowa City

Moving from Gulfport-Biloxi to Iowa City shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 90.0 to 91.5 (100 = US average), so a Gulfport-Biloxi salary needs to be multiplied by 1.02 to hold the same purchasing power in Iowa City. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,140/month in Gulfport-Biloxi to $1,141/month in Iowa City - a higher monthly bill of $1, or $12/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.

Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $58,519 in Gulfport-Biloxi versus $66,752 in Iowa City - a raw gap of $8,233 higher. The Iowa City labor market has 83,600 tracked jobs against 149,220 in Gulfport-Biloxi, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.

Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Gulfport-Biloxi and Iowa City are 143 and 238 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 13.3:1 at origin versus 14.8:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $6,498/year in Gulfport-Biloxi versus $8,306/year in Iowa City. Our composite verdict - Less Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.