Iowa City Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Iowa City to Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.5 to 101.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $831/mo.

-$1,365
BLS median salary lower in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
238 to 210
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.8:1 to 17.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,199
DOL infant care higher / yr in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford

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: 91.5 → 101.4
Rent Delta: +$831/mo

Cons of Moving

  • - 10% higher cost of living
  • - $831/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 91.5 to 101.4, so the same paycheck buys less in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (ratio 1.11). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $831/mo ($9,972/yr) from $1,141 in Iowa City to $1,972 in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford.

Iowa City still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford sits #322 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Iowa City is #59/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,365 lower ($66,752 → $65,387). Labor-market size: 83,600 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,382,410 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Iowa scores 70 (B, #8/51) vs Florida at 62 (C, #23/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Iowa City
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 91.5
RPP 101.4
Iowa City
Rent (2BR)
$1,141/mo
$1,972/mo
Iowa City
Wages
$66,752
$65,387
Iowa City
Crime
238 per 100K
210 per 100K
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
Schools
14.8:1
17.8:1
Iowa City
Childcare
$8,306/yr
$10,505/yr
Iowa City
Environment
742 violations
2736 violations
Iowa City

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 · Iowa
70 B #8/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
58
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
42
Destination state · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12

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 Iowa City to see what you'd need to earn in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
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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