Lexington-Fayette → Rapid City
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Lexington-Fayette to Rapid City is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.9 to 89.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $99/mo.
- -$7,489
- BLS median salary lower in Rapid City
- 225 to 320
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.2:1 to 13.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $643
- 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
- + 4% lower cost of living
- + $99/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $7K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 92.9 to 89.2 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $99/mo ($1,188/yr) from $1,272 in Lexington-Fayette to $1,173 in Rapid City.
Rapid City leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Rapid City sits #230 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Lexington-Fayette is #150/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $7,489 lower ($68,636 → $61,147). Labor-market size: 274,970 tracked jobs at origin vs 68,240 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Kentucky 68 (C, #11/51) vs South Dakota 73 (B, #7/51). 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
- 72
- Property tax
- 73
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 38
- 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 Lexington-Fayette 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