Lewiston-Auburn Flagstaff

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Lewiston-Auburn to Flagstaff is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 94.7 to 100.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $335/mo.

+$3,389
BLS median salary higher in Flagstaff
102 to 429
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.1:1 to 17:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$24
DOL infant care lower / yr in Flagstaff

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.

Verdict
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 94.7 → 100.3
Rent Delta: +$335/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $3K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 6% higher cost of living
  • - $335/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 94.7 to 100.3, so the same paycheck buys less in Flagstaff (ratio 1.06). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $335/mo ($4,020/yr) from $1,586 in Lewiston-Auburn to $1,921 in Flagstaff.

Lewiston-Auburn still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Flagstaff sits #360 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Lewiston-Auburn is #20/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,389 higher ($62,617 → $66,006). Labor-market size: 41,990 tracked jobs at origin vs 58,590 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Maine scores 61 (C, #27/51) vs Arizona at 53 (D, #37/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Lewiston-Auburn
Flagstaff
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 94.7
RPP 100.3
Lewiston-Auburn
Rent (2BR)
$1,586/mo
$1,921/mo
Lewiston-Auburn
Wages
$62,617
$66,006
Flagstaff
Crime
102 per 100K
429 per 100K
Lewiston-Auburn
Schools
11.1:1
17:1
Lewiston-Auburn
Childcare
$11,325/yr
$11,301/yr
Flagstaff
Environment
832 violations
5259 violations
Lewiston-Auburn

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Maine
61 C #27/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
60
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
100
Destination state · Arizona
53 D #37/51
Income tax
82
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
22

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 Lewiston-Auburn to see what you'd need to earn in Flagstaff to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Flagstaff
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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