Lewiston → Lafayette-West Lafayette
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $5K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - Higher violent crime rate
Moving from Lewiston to Lafayette-West Lafayette shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 91.2 to 93.4 (100 = US average), so a Lewiston salary needs to be multiplied by 1.02 to hold the same purchasing power in Lafayette-West Lafayette. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,220/month in Lewiston to $1,242/month in Lafayette-West Lafayette - a higher monthly bill of $22, or $264/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $59,266 in Lewiston versus $63,985 in Lafayette-West Lafayette - a raw gap of $4,719 higher. The Lafayette-West Lafayette labor market has 90,750 tracked jobs against 22,910 in Lewiston, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Lewiston and Lafayette-West Lafayette are 235 and 308 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 17.1:1 at origin versus 15.9:1 at destination. Our composite verdict - Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Lewiston to see what you'd need to earn in Lafayette-West Lafayette to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lafayette-West Lafayette more expensive than Lewiston?
What are salaries like in Lafayette-West Lafayette compared to Lewiston?
Is Lafayette-West Lafayette safer than Lewiston?
How much would I need to earn in Lafayette-West Lafayette to match my Lewiston salary?
What does the "Favorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.