Lewiston-Auburn → Rapid City
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Lewiston-Auburn to Rapid City is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 94.7 to 89.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $413/mo.
- -$1,470
- BLS median salary lower in Rapid City
- 102 to 320
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.1:1 to 13.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,730
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Rapid City
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
- + 6% lower cost of living
- + $413/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 94.7 to 89.2, so each dollar covers more in Rapid City (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $413/mo ($4,956/yr) from $1,586 in Lewiston-Auburn to $1,173 in Rapid City.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Rapid City sits #230 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Lewiston-Auburn is #20/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,470 lower ($62,617 → $61,147). Labor-market size: 41,990 tracked jobs at origin vs 68,240 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Dakota scores 73 (B, #7/51) vs Maine at 61 (C, #27/51). 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
- 68
- Property tax
- 60
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 100
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 64
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 70
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 Rapid City to maintain the same purchasing power.
Rapid City 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