Kokomo → Asheville
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Kokomo to Asheville is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 89.6 to 96.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $444/mo.
- +$5,189
- BLS median salary higher in Asheville
- 308 to 365
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.9:1 to 15.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
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
- + $5K higher median salary
Cons of Moving
- - 7% higher cost of living
- - $444/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 89.6 to 96.5, so the same paycheck buys less in Asheville (ratio 1.08). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $444/mo ($5,328/yr) from $1,123 in Kokomo to $1,567 in Asheville.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Asheville sits #262 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Kokomo is #112/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,189 higher ($59,160 → $64,349). Labor-market size: 26,100 tracked jobs at origin vs 172,630 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Indiana 62 (C, #24/51) vs North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51). 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
- 72
- Property tax
- 69
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 32
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 66
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 30
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 Kokomo to see what you'd need to earn in Asheville 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