Lafayette → Memphis
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Lafayette to Memphis is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.2 to 92.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $394/mo.
- +$7,937
- BLS median salary higher in Memphis
- 410 to 602
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 16.8:1 to 15.3:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $464
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Memphis
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
- + $8K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 5% higher cost of living
- - $394/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.2 to 92.2, so the same paycheck buys less in Memphis (ratio 1.06). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $394/mo ($4,728/yr) from $880 in Lafayette to $1,274 in Memphis.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Memphis sits #300 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Lafayette is #250/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $7,937 higher ($57,165 → $65,102). Labor-market size: 163,850 tracked jobs at origin vs 597,090 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Louisiana 67 (C, #15/51) vs Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51). 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
- 78
- Property tax
- 79
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 8
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 80
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 36
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 Lafayette to see what you'd need to earn in Memphis 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