Longview-Kelso → Rome

Moving from Longview-Kelso to Rome shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 97.5 to 90.2 (100 = US average), so a Longview-Kelso salary needs to be multiplied by 0.92 to hold the same purchasing power in Rome. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,451/month in Longview-Kelso to $1,192/month in Rome - a lower monthly bill of $259, or $3,108/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 $72,685 in Longview-Kelso versus $59,418 in Rome - a raw gap of $13,267 lower. The Rome labor market has 36,420 tracked jobs against 34,650 in Longview-Kelso, 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 Longview-Kelso and Rome are 329 and 300 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 17.6:1 at origin versus 14.4:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $15,987/year in Longview-Kelso versus $6,591/year in Rome. Our composite verdict - Strongly Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.