Lexington-Fayette → Sierra Vista-Douglas
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Lexington-Fayette to Sierra Vista-Douglas is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.9 to 89.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $15/mo.
- -$5,993
- BLS median salary lower in Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 225 to 429
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.2:1 to 17:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,063
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Sierra Vista-Douglas
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
Cons of Moving
- - $6K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
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 barely moves ($1,272 → $1,257); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
Lexington-Fayette still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Sierra Vista-Douglas sits #167 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Lexington-Fayette is #150/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,993 lower ($68,636 → $62,643). Labor-market size: 274,970 tracked jobs at origin vs 28,720 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Kentucky scores 68 (C, #11/51) vs Arizona at 53 (D, #37/51). 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
- 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 Lexington-Fayette to see what you'd need to earn in Sierra Vista-Douglas to maintain the same purchasing power.
Sierra Vista-Douglas 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