Iowa City → Gulfport-Biloxi

Moving from Iowa City to Gulfport-Biloxi shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 91.5 to 90.0 (100 = US average), so a Iowa City salary needs to be multiplied by 0.98 to hold the same purchasing power in Gulfport-Biloxi. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,141/month in Iowa City to $1,140/month in Gulfport-Biloxi - a lower 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 $66,752 in Iowa City versus $58,519 in Gulfport-Biloxi - a raw gap of $8,233 lower. The Gulfport-Biloxi labor market has 149,220 tracked jobs against 83,600 in Iowa City, 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 Iowa City and Gulfport-Biloxi are 238 and 143 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 14.8:1 at origin versus 13.3:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $8,306/year in Iowa City versus $6,498/year in Gulfport-Biloxi. Our composite verdict - Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.