Knoxville → Brownsville-Harlingen
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Knoxville to Brownsville-Harlingen is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.6 to 86.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $424/mo.
- -$8,038
- BLS median salary lower in Brownsville-Harlingen
- 602 to 395
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.3:1 to 14.7:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $294
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Brownsville-Harlingen
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
- + $424/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - $8K lower median salary
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 92.6 to 86.0, so each dollar covers more in Brownsville-Harlingen (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $424/mo ($5,088/yr) from $1,471 in Knoxville to $1,047 in Brownsville-Harlingen.
Brownsville-Harlingen leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Brownsville-Harlingen sits #214 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Knoxville is #341/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,038 lower ($63,333 → $55,295). Labor-market size: 415,720 tracked jobs at origin vs 149,790 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51) vs Texas 65 (C, #19/51). 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
- 100
- Property tax
- 80
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 36
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
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 Knoxville to see what you'd need to earn in Brownsville-Harlingen to maintain the same purchasing power.
Brownsville-Harlingen 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