Ithaca → Helena
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Ithaca to Helena is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.3 to 95.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $5/mo.
- -$8,536
- BLS median salary lower in Helena
- 380 to 426
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.8:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $2,403
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Helena
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
- + 8% lower cost of living
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $9K lower median salary
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.3 to 95.7, so each dollar covers more in Helena (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,753 → $1,748); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Helena sits #307 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Ithaca is #240/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,536 lower ($75,348 → $66,812). Labor-market size: 39,380 tracked jobs at origin vs 38,620 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: New York 46 (F, #46/51) vs Montana 53 (D, #38/51). 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
- 80
- Property tax
- 48
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 96
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 68
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 82
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 Ithaca to see what you'd need to earn in Helena 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