Kenosha → Columbia
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Kenosha to Columbia is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.1 to 93.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $126/mo.
- -$4,289
- BLS median salary lower in Columbia
- 280 to 439
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.4:1 to 14.3:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $3,524
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Columbia
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
- + 7% lower cost of living
- + $126/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $4K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.1 to 93.7, so each dollar covers more in Columbia (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $126/mo ($1,512/yr) from $1,402 in Kenosha to $1,276 in Columbia.
Columbia leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Columbia sits #29 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Kenosha is #260/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,289 lower ($68,406 → $64,117). Labor-market size: 69,670 tracked jobs at origin vs 383,170 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs Wisconsin at 57 (D, #32/51). 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
- 85
- Property tax
- 87
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 56
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 Kenosha to see what you'd need to earn in Columbia 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