Longview Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Longview to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 89.5 to 108.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $1,047/mo.

+$24,030
BLS median salary higher in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
395 to 1015
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.7:1 to 12.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$17,914
DOL infant care higher / yr in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

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.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 89.5 → 108.9
Rent Delta: +$1,047/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $24K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - 19% higher cost of living
  • - $1047/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 89.5 to 108.9, so the same paycheck buys less in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (ratio 1.22). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $1,047/mo ($12,564/yr) from $1,199 in Longview to $2,246 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria sits #110 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Longview is #151/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $24,030 higher ($58,714 → $82,744). Labor-market size: 109,710 tracked jobs at origin vs 3,082,600 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Texas 65 (C, #19/51) vs District of Columbia 61 (C, #26/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Longview
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 89.5
RPP 108.9
Longview
Rent (2BR)
$1,199/mo
$2,246/mo
Longview
Wages
$58,714
$82,744
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Crime
395 per 100K
1015 per 100K
Longview
Schools
14.7:1
12.3:1
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$25,480/yr
Longview
Environment
35693 violations
38 violations
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
Destination state · District of Columbia
61 C #26/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
90

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 Longview to see what you'd need to earn in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
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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