Lafayette → Vallejo
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Lafayette to Vallejo is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.2 to 108.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $1,298/mo.
- +$24,395
- BLS median salary higher in Vallejo
- 410 to 477
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 16.8:1 to 21.5:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $10,524
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Vallejo
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
- + $24K higher median salary
Cons of Moving
- - 21% higher cost of living
- - $1298/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.2 to 108.5, so the same paycheck buys less in Vallejo (ratio 1.24). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $1,298/mo ($15,576/yr) from $880 in Lafayette to $2,178 in Vallejo.
Lafayette still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Vallejo sits #355 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Lafayette is #250/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $24,395 higher ($57,165 → $81,560). Labor-market size: 163,850 tracked jobs at origin vs 134,880 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Louisiana scores 67 (C, #15/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). 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
- 70
- Property tax
- 72
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 4
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 Vallejo 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