Hattiesburg Albuquerque

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Hattiesburg to Albuquerque is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.6 to 95.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $417/mo.

+$15,133
BLS median salary higher in Albuquerque
143 to 697
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.3:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 87.6 → 95.5
Rent Delta: +$417/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $15K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 8% higher cost of living
  • - $417/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.6 to 95.5, so the same paycheck buys less in Albuquerque (ratio 1.09). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $417/mo ($5,004/yr) from $1,047 in Hattiesburg to $1,464 in Albuquerque.

Hattiesburg still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Albuquerque sits #327 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Hattiesburg is #19/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $15,133 higher ($51,744 → $66,877). Labor-market size: 54,020 tracked jobs at origin vs 388,700 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Mississippi scores 89 (A, #1/51) vs New Mexico at 59 (D, #28/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Hattiesburg
Albuquerque
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 87.6
RPP 95.5
Hattiesburg
Rent (2BR)
$1,047/mo
$1,464/mo
Hattiesburg
Wages
$51,744
$66,877
Albuquerque
Crime
143 per 100K
697 per 100K
Hattiesburg
Schools
13.3:1
14:1
Hattiesburg
Childcare
$6,498/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
2079 violations
8034 violations
Hattiesburg

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 · Mississippi
89 A #1/51
Income tax
92
Property tax
75
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
76
Destination state · New Mexico
59 D #28/51
Income tax
78
Property tax
77
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
50

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 Hattiesburg to see what you'd need to earn in Albuquerque to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Albuquerque
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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