Janesville-Beloit → Kalamazoo-Portage
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Janesville-Beloit to Kalamazoo-Portage is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 93.7 to 94.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $84/mo.
- +$493
- BLS median salary higher in Kalamazoo-Portage
- 280 to 431
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.4:1 to 17.5:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $3,812
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Kalamazoo-Portage
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
- + $84/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 93.7 to 94.8 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $84/mo ($1,008/yr) from $1,246 in Janesville-Beloit to $1,162 in Kalamazoo-Portage.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Kalamazoo-Portage sits #259 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Janesville-Beloit is #124/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $493 higher ($63,520 → $64,013). Labor-market size: 64,420 tracked jobs at origin vs 114,320 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Wisconsin scores 57 (D, #32/51) vs Michigan at 49 (F, #42/51). 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
- 62
- Property tax
- 56
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 40
- Income tax
- 72
- Property tax
- 59
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 16
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 Janesville-Beloit to see what you'd need to earn in Kalamazoo-Portage to maintain the same purchasing power.
Kalamazoo-Portage metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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