Johnson City → Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - $226/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Johnson City to Pinehurst-Southern Pines shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 87.9 to 88.3 (100 = US average), so a Johnson City salary needs to be multiplied by 1.00 to hold the same purchasing power in Pinehurst-Southern Pines. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,132/month in Johnson City to $1,358/month in Pinehurst-Southern Pines - a higher monthly bill of $226, or $2,712/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 $57,056 in Johnson City versus $59,014 in Pinehurst-Southern Pines - a raw gap of $1,958 higher. The Pinehurst-Southern Pines labor market has 36,690 tracked jobs against 74,580 in Johnson 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 Johnson City and Pinehurst-Southern Pines are 602 and 365 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 15.3:1 at origin versus 15.8:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $7,860/year in Johnson City versus $9,487/year in Pinehurst-Southern Pines. Our composite verdict - Less Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Johnson City to see what you'd need to earn in Pinehurst-Southern Pines to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What does the "Less Favorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.